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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

River Seine pollution cancels another Paris Olympics test event

Pollution levels in the Seine river on Saturday forced the cancellation of a test event for the Paris Olympics para-triathlon contest just two weeks after another test competition was called off for the same reason.

Published: 19 August 2023 15:31 CEST

River Seine

Boats sail past the Ile Saint-Louis on River Seine during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics in July 2023. Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP

“The laboratory sample had a slightly too high level” of the E. coli bacteria, reported Paris mayor’s sports assistant Pierre Rabadan.

This follows the cancellation a fortnight ago of a test open-water swim competition for the 2024 Games due to excessive pollution.

The para-triathlon test event was reduced to just cycling and running.

A mixed relay triathlon planned for Sunday could well suffer the same fate, with a decision expected overnight, the world triathlon secretary general Antonio Arimany said.

READ ALSO: Will people really be able to swim in Paris’ Seine river in 2024?

Test events went ahead in the French capital’s river without any issues earlier this week.

Scotland’s Beth Potter braved the waters of the Seine to win the women’s triathlon before England’s Alex Yee won the men’s test event on a course identical to the one set to be used for next year’s Olympic games.

As organisers investigated the source of Saturday’s elevated E. coli readings, Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, stressed there was no ‘Plan B’ for next year’s sporting contests.

READ ALSO: Tickets, fan zones and Airbnb: Your 5-minute guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics

“There is no solution to move the event, the triathlon and open water swimming will be held in the Seine next year,” he insisted.

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No French fries but lots of lentils for Paris Olympic athletes

The 3,300-seat restaurant at the Paris Olympic village, which will welcome athletes next month, was given its first test-run on Tuesday by a hungry crowd of sports figures, officials and journalists.

Based in a vast former power station, the food hall includes six dining areas offering meals from around the globe, with half of the 50 dishes available each day being 100 percent vegetarian.

“People are going to meet here in France, with its culture, its heritage but also its gastronomy and so there are expectations,” chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters.

Although many athletes would stick to their usual nutrition before competing, they will also be offered the chance to discover France’s famed food, with several Michelin-starred chefs taken on as advisers.

“We’ve allowed ourselves to put French gastronomy in pride of place so that curious athletes from around the world can try French culinary excellence,” Estanguet added.

The giant warm-food buffets will not include French fries, however.

McDonalds, a long-time Olympics sponsor, had its own fast-food restaurant in the Olympic village until the Rio Olympics in 2016, but athletes wanting a hit of junk food will have to look elsewhere.

“For technical reasons, we can’t offer fries,” said Estelle Lamotte, deputy director of village catering at food group Sodexo, told reporters.

She explained deep-fat fryers were not allowed in the temporary kitchens at the site, which is usually used as a film studio.

Gregoire Bechu, head of sustainable food at the Paris organising committee, stressed the quality of the ‘delicious’ lentil dahl recipe that has been developed for athletes.

“One of the major commitments by Paris 2024 was offering vegetarian meals in order to halve the carbon footprint of each meal on average,” he said. “We wanted vegetarian meals everywhere.”

At sports venues, 60 percent of food offered to fans will be vegetarian and the temporary stadium hosting skateboarding, BMX and breakdancing at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris will be entirely meat-free.

In a further bid to lower carbon emissions, only two of the six restaurant areas at the village will be air-conditioned, with the rest in outdoor courtyards sheltered by fabric sun shades and ventilated with overhead fans.

Tuesday’s test event, held under fierce sunshine and in 27C heat, saw some people visibly sweating.

“I think we’ve found a good compromise between offering the right temperature but also reducing our carbon emissions,” Estanguet said. “It’s one of the main challenges of the Paris 2024 edition.”

In a break from Olympic tradition, the 2,800 apartments at the village do not come with air-conditioning as standard.

But many Olympic teams have decided to install portable coolers at their own cost.

Paris has suffered a number of record heatwaves in recent years with temperatures peaking above 40C in July and August, but 2024 has so far been wet and cool.

The Paris Olympics run from July 26th to August 11th, followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th.

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