Paris Olympics 2024: Open Water Swim Training Goes Ahead In River Seine

PARIS, Aug 7 (Bernama-dpa) -- The first training session for Olympic open water swimmers in the River Seine is set to take place on Wednesday after being cancelled the day before over concerns about the water quality, according to a statement from World Aquatics, as reported by the German news agency (dpa).

The decision was made after a meeting with the city of Paris and Olympic organisers early on Wednesday morning.

The session is set to start at 7.30 am (0530 GMT) and will last for two hours.

The training session for the Olympic open water competitions in the River Seine was originally planned for Tuesday but had been cancelled due to excessive levels of enterococci, an indicator of faecal pollution, which exceeded the limits set by World Aquatics.

The water quality in the River Seine, where the open water competitions are scheduled to take place on August 8-9, has been causing the organisers major problems.

If the conditions in the river are unsuitable at the time of the races, the rowing venue may be used as an alternative. 

The triathletes, who also conducted their swimming event in the Seine, faced issues with the water quality.

The men's individual competition was delayed by a day due to values exceeding the accepted limits.

The triathletes' swimming training sessions were also cancelled prior to the mixed relay getting the green light on Monday morning.

France has made huge efforts over the years to improve the water quality of the Seine, investing around €1.4 billion (US$1.5 billion) over recent years to use the river for Olympic events.

-- BERNAMA-dpa