Over the past twelve months, water quality has been a central talking point in the triathlon world. From the European Championships in Madrid to WTCS Sunderland to the Hong Kong World Cup, stories of swim cancellations and athlete sickness have become significant issues. One event, however, stands out above the rest.
At last year’s Paris Olympic Test Event, doubts were raised over the safety of the water after the open water swimming test in the Seine was postponed due to safety concerns. The individual triathlon races took place as planned however the Mixed Team Relay was converted into a duathlon shortly after. Moreover, the World Para Cup event in Paris was also switched into a duathlon. Given that the Para Cup took place a day after the men’s race at the Test Event, eyebrows were raised as to how safe the water really was.
In light of what happened at the Test Event, organisers, athletes and fans alike have held their breath ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. Organisers have previously proclaimed confidence that similar water quality issues will not affect the Games. Moreover, billions will have spent on cleaning the river and the final projects are approaching completion.
Nevertheless, trouble may still lie ahead.
In perhaps the most public admission of doubt yet, Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024, conceded that the Olympic triathlon events may be delayed or the swim even cancelled.
A day prior to Estanguet’s admission, the Surfrider Foundation Europe charity claimed that, of fourteen samples taken at the Alexandre III Bridge (the site of the triathlon events) over a period of six months, thirteen indicated poor water quality. Their concern of “alarming” bacteria levels in the Seine thus highlights how the situation has not improved since the Test Event. With a little over three months until the Games, Paris 2024 faces a race against time to ensure the river is indeed clean (or at least clean enough for competition).
The Olympic organisers noted that the Surfrider Foundation Europe tests came before the completion of major improvement works designed to aid the water quality. On the other hand, heavy rainfall could overpower the advances made.
Estanguet went on to note that, should rainfall hit Paris in the Games, there is no alternative location. In the event of poor water quality occurring once more, the organisers could postpone the triathlon events by one to three days. Being early events in the Games, there is some scope for such a delay. Alternatively, the swim will have to be cancelled and the races run as duathlons. When it comes to cancellation, final say will reside with the World Triathlon rules.
What this could mean
Swimming in the Seine has been one of the most ambitious aspects of the Paris Olympic efforts. As previously noted, it is also not the only venue to have struggled in the past year with water quality issues. Equally, it is the most important event. At this stage, then, three points ought to be considered.
The first is that the it appears that the Seine has not been demonstrably safe on a consistent basis at any point recently. From the Test Event postponements and adjustments, across two sports no less, in August to the Surfrider Foundation Europe study, the current picture is concerning. Before any athletes enter the Seine at the Games, there really needs to be a consistent set of clean readings. At minimum, the month of July should return no adverse results.
The second point is that the Olympic triathlon events will seemingly now hinge on the weather. Any rainfall will be cause for anxiety and could risk either illness or a change to the event format. The prospect of delays will likely worsen an already stressful pre-race environment for the athletes and the uncertainty could be a problem. Separately, the prospect of the Olympic Games being contested as a duathlon promises only acrimony from all corners.
The third, and perhaps most important, point concerns the athletes. In the wake of the WTCS Sunderland water quality revelations, we warned that the lack of accountability and responsibility from World Triathlon after the event would erode athlete trust in their decision-making. This already appears to be the case.
Criticism came from several quarters after the Paris Test Event. More recently, the Hong Kong World Cup came under fire for the poor water quality. After Hong Kong, some athletes were even hospitalised.
As a result, it will be increasingly difficult for at least a portion of the athletes to believe World Triathlon when they say the water quality is safe. Since July 2023 alone, there have been three high profile instances in which water quality levels have demonstrably not been safe, in contrast to the conclusions of the pre-race briefing. Even in the event that the Seine is actually clean in the Olympics, do the athletes have enough cause to believe the federation? The lure of the Olympic Games will probably force them into the water anyway, but how many athletes will do so doubting what they have been told?
The issues around Paris 2024 are exacerbated by the fact that most of the athletes that will compete in the individual events will also have to race in the relay. With quota restrictions on who can be at the Games, there is no real fall-back for countries to cope with an affected athlete. Any sickness caused by the Seine could therefore shape how the relay unfolds.
Looking ahead to the Games, then, the organisers will simply have to hope that their massive investments pay off and that consistent clean readings are available throughout the summer. To mitigate the risks in Paris, World Triathlon could also take two important steps.
The first is to consult with the national federations and develop contingency plans for illness substitutions for the Mixed Team Relay. While no one wants the athletes to fall ill, at this point in time it cannot simply be assumed that the water will be safe. Hence a back-up plan is required to ensure healthy participation. Such a plan can be implemented in the coming months so that every team has suitable reserves ready to go.
The second step for World Triathlon is to change their water quality rules. By this, we mean that they need to make them stricter. For example, the acceptable levels for E.coli have to be reduced and the number of tests taken (both in terms of volume and location) has to increase. The key with this move will be to restore athlete confidence which, when it comes to water, has plummeted.
Everyone will hope for the best case scenario this summer and there is every chance the Paris Games are unaffected by rain or water issues. With no alternative to the Seine, though, the critical step now is to plan for the worst or else triathlon could become the laughing stock of the Games.
