Olympic triathlon training sessions, scheduled to take place in Paris’ famed Seine River on Sunday, July 28, and Monday were both canceled over water contamination levels. Less than two weeks ago, Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo went for a swim in the long-polluted waterway in an effort to prove the water was clean enough for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Olympic organizers said recent heavy rains, which also affected Friday night’s opening ceremonies, raised the Seine’s E. coli levels, making the water unsafe for swimmers.
The swimming leg of the men’s triathlon — the first swimming event at the Olympics — is set to take place in the Seine on Tuesday, July 30. The women’s triathlon is supposed to take place Wednesday, July 31, with the mixed relay planned for Aug. 5.
Paris organizers said they’re “confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions,” and that the events will go on, even if they have to be delayed by a day or two.
The Paris Olympics chief told CBS News that if the Seine’s water quality does not improve, then the swimming stage of the triathlon can be “dropped” and the event would become a “biathlon,” which is not an official Olympic sport.
The city of Paris has spent more than $1.5 billion over the last decade cleaning pollution from the Seine River.
