Paris river pollution forces swim cancellation

A pre-Olympics swimming test event in Paris was canceled on Sunday due to excessive pollution in the Seine river, the sport's international federation said.

In the wake of recent torrential rain and based on assessments of the most current water samples, "water quality in the Seine has remained below acceptable standards for safeguarding swimmers' health" World Aquatics said in a statement.

"Based on this weekend, it is clear that further work is needed with Paris 2024 and local authorities to ensure robust contingency plans are in place for next year," it said.

The French Swimming Federation and World Aquatics canceled both the Open Water Swimming World Cup women's 10-kilometer race — a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympics — and its men's equivalent.

Organizers have promised the waterway will be clean and ready for the Olympics, which run from July 26 to Aug 11 next year.

The Seine is set to host the Games' marathon swimming and the swim sections of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon.

The Paris Olympics organizing committee has insisted that new infrastructure would be operational by summer 2024, improving water quality and making the Seine swimmable.

An underground overflow basin worth 80 billion euros ($88 billion), intended to protect the river from bacterial contamination during heavy rains, is projected to be ready before the games begin, reported Reuters news agency.

Paris 2024 organizers and the city's authorities said that "in recent weeks, water quality in the Seine has regularly reached the levels required for competitions to be held on the dedicated site, demonstrating the significant progress made".

The World Aquatics president, Husain al-Musallam, said the organization was "disappointed… but the health of our athletes must always be our top priority", adding: "World Aquatics remains excited at the prospect of city-center Olympic racing for the world's best open-water swimmers next summer."

French Swimming Federation chief, Gilles Sezionale, said athletes had missed a valuable opportunity.

"Disappointed is the right word," he said. "First and foremost disappointed for the athletes, who were dreaming of competing in one of the most beautiful locations in the world," he told local radio, as reported by The Guardian newspaper.

World Triathlon said in a statement on Sunday that its triathletes would still compete in an upcoming Paris Olympics test event from August 17-20, with the swimming segments to be held in the Seine. It said the weather forecast gives them confidence that water quality will improve enough for the swim section to go ahead.

An issue with water pollution also impacted a top level sports event held in the United Kingdom on July 29 and 30.

More than 57 individuals suffered from sickness and diarrhea after partaking in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, in the northeast of England.