Current:Home > MyParis Olympics cancels triathlon training session because Seine too dirty -AssetTrainer
Paris Olympics cancels triathlon training session because Seine too dirty
View
Date:2025-04-12 16:52:43
Editor's note: Follow the latest Olympics live results, medal count and updates for Sunday, July 28.
PARIS − The first swimming training session for triathletes competing at the Paris Olympics was cancelled Sunday because of pollution in the river Seine.
Whether the Seine will be clean enough to host Olympic triathlon and open-water swimming events has been a much debated topic at the Games. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip in the Seine last week in a bid to ease fears. Organizers have spent more than $1.5 billion trying to overcome the river's high levels of E.coli bacteria.
The river was deemed clean enough for the swimming competitions following a series of tests in earlier this month but heavy rainfall in France's capital over the past 48 hours appears to have set that back.
In a joint statement Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said they were "confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions," which get underway Tuesday.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
The bike and running training sessions will go ahead as planned Sunday.
In a briefing with reporters on Saturday, Scott Schnitzspahn, the U.S. Olympic triathlon team's "high performance" general manager, said he was getting updates on the Seine's water quality each day at 4 a.m. He said there is a Plan B if the river tests results don't improve. Plan B is delaying the triathlon by one day.
Plan C is the swim part of the event gets dropped altogether.
American triathlete Seth Rider revealed he has an unconventional tactic for preparing for the Seine's E. coli levels.
"We actually raced here last year in the test event," he said. "I don't think anyone got sick after that, which can't be said about all the races we do. In preparation for this race, I knew there was going to be some E.coli exposure. So I've been trying to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in day-to-day life."
One of the ways Rider claimed he's been doing that is not washing his hands after he goes to the bathroom.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Follow Kim Hjelmgaard on social media @khjelmgaard
veryGood! (12)
Related
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Apply for ICN’s Environmental Reporting Workshop for Midwest Journalists. It’s Free!
- Trump Budget Calls for Slashing Clean Energy Spending, Again
- Lily-Rose Depp and Girlfriend 070 Shake Can't Keep Their Hands To Themselves During NYC Outing
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Apply for ICN’s Environmental Reporting Workshop for Midwest Journalists. It’s Free!
- New York employers must now tell applicants when they encounter AI
- Lea Michele, Lupita Nyong'o and More Stars Dazzle at the 2023 Tony Awards
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Jill Duggar Will Detail Secrets, Manipulation Behind Family's Reality Show In New Memoir
Ranking
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Elite runner makes wrong turn just before finish line, costing her $10,000 top prize
- Brian Austin Green Slams Claim Ex Megan Fox Forces Sons to Wear Girls Clothes
- Man cited in Supreme Court case on same-sex wedding website says he never contacted designer. But does it matter?
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Bud Light sales continue to go flat during key summer month
- Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero
- Man found dead in car with 2 flat tires at Death Valley National Park amid extreme heat
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Video shows Russian fighter jets harassing U.S. Air Force drones in Syria, officials say
Anthony Anderson & Cedric the Entertainer Share the Father's Day Gift Ideas Dad Really Wants
New study finds PFAS forever chemicals in drinking water from 45% of faucets across U.S.
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
How the Marine Corps Struck Gold in a Trash Heap As Part of the Pentagon’s Fight Against Climate Change
Energy Execs’ Tone on Climate Changing, But They Still See a Long Fossil Future
Jessie J Reveals Name of Her and Boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman's One-Month-Old Son