Olympic triathlon mixed relay goes ahead with swims in the Seine amid water quality concerns

Waves crash along the banks of the Seine River in front of the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

PARIS, France — Olympic triathletes plunged into the Seine River Monday morning as the mixed relay event got underway after organizers said the bacteria levels in the long-polluted Paris waterway were at acceptable levels.

The plan to hold the swimming portion of the triathlons and the marathon swimming events in the Seine was an ambitious one. Swimming in the river has, with some exceptions, been off-limits since 1923 because it has been too toxic.

Representatives from World Triathlon and the International Olympic Committee along with Paris Games organizers and regional and weather authorities met Sunday night to review water tests. The results indicated the water quality at the triathlon site had improved over the preceding hours and would be within the limits mandated by World Triathlon by Monday morning, they said in a statement.

In a very close sprint finish, the team from Germany won the gold medal, with the United States taking silver and Britain clinching bronze.

The decision to allow the event to go forward with swims in the Seine came after Belgium’s Olympic committee announced Sunday that it would withdraw its team from the mixed relay triathlon after one of its competitors who swam in the river last week fell ill. It was not clear whether her illness had anything to do with her swim in the Seine.

Paris spent 1.4 billion euros (US$1.5 billion) on infrastructure improvements to clean up the river that flows through its centre. That included the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

Heavy rains that have fallen off and on during the Games have caused headaches for organizers as they result in elevated levels of fecal bacteria, including E. coli and enterococci, flowing into the river. Drenching rains fell Thursday night, but conditions had otherwise been dry except for light rain Saturday evening. The sun shone brightly as the race unfolded Monday and athletes said organizers reassured them that there were no concerns with water quality.

Organizers have continued to express confidence that warm temperatures and the sun’s ultraviolet rays would combine to kill enough of the germs ahead of each event set to include a swim in the Seine.

Athletes swam in the river for the men’s and women’s individual triathlons Wednesday, though the men’s race had been delayed by a day because of the water quality. Elevated bacteria levels in the waterway have caused cancellations of the swimming portion of training sessions for the relay event.

American triathlete Taylor Spivey said the uncertainty was difficult.

“I mean, everyone watching can see what an incredible venue this was for, for the triathlon,” she said, noting that organizers clearly chose the course location for the backdrop of Paris monuments, which included the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees. “But the constant question of the water quality, the water quality and the current, was very stressful for the athletes, I would say, because there the contingency plan was only to push the race back, not necessarily like a plan B location.”

Her teammate, Morgan Pearson, said the last-minute changes in plans were unfair to the athletes and fans. He also was tired of talking about the water quality in the Seine: “I’ve been getting asked this question for the last year. I qualified a year ago, and I think, no pun intended, we’re all just a little bit sick of the question.”

Brazilian triathlete Arnold Djenyfer said the water was fine Monday.

“There was really no difference about the quality of the water today compared to the first race," he said. "We already knew what we were going to face and it was all fine.”

Vetle Bergsvik Thorn of Norway, who competed Monday, was one of several triathletes who fell ill after swimming in the Seine last Wednesday. He said he had a bad stomach illness for about 12 hours but said “it's hard to say if it's the river or just some ordinary food poisoning.”

“It’s been quite a few stressful days with not knowing if we can swim or not,” he said.

Swiss officials announced Saturday that triathlete Adrien Briffod, who had competed in the Seine on Wednesday, would not compete Monday after falling ill with a stomach infection. On Sunday, they announced that Simon Westermann, who had been tapped to replace Briffod, also had to withdraw because of a gastrointestinal infection. Westermann had not participated in any swims in the Seine.

Switzerland's Julie Derron, who won silver in the women's individual triathlon, said the team had experienced “a bit of turbulence” in recent days. But she said that, overall, the experience has been a good one.

“I think it was challenging conditions obviously, to hold the race, but I think the pictures, the memories that we take away, they’re incredible,” she said.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of the fecal bacteria, including E. coli. World Triathlon’s water safety guidelines and a 2006 European Union directive assign qualitative values to a range of E. coli levels.

Under World Triathlon’s guidelines, E. coli levels up to 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres can be considered “good” and can allow competitions to go forward.

The triathlon mixed relay involves four-person teams made up of two men and two women, with each athlete swimming for 300 metres (yards), cycling for 6.8 kilometres (4.2 miles) and running for two kilometres (1.2 miles).