The Seine seaside is a failure. Yesterday, the men's triathlon race was postponed due to pollution. From July 30 to 31, where the women's event will also take place. This was announced by the event organizers after the latest analyses of the river water. Which attests to the extent to which the heavy rains of Friday 26 and Saturday 27 have degraded the quality of the water. With “recorded values even exceeding acceptable limits at certain points along the course.” But that doesn't mean that everything is fine. The organizing committee meeting is at dawn. But in the meantime, Emmanuel Macron has decided not to take the photo on the river. Because the flop ultimately concerns him too.
River restoration
The rehabilitation of the river that crosses Paris was supposed to be the legacy of the 2024 Olympic Games. The investment of 1.4 billion euros was supposed to serve and be sufficient. While the French president railed against the defeatism of those who said it was impossible to succeed. But perhaps the pessimists were right. And it will be difficult to have bathing areas for Parisians, despite the promises. The mayor and the prefect took a bath to go against the skeptics. But then it was discovered that due to bacterial contamination, the values were not optimal on the day itself. “We are confident,” he continues to promise Republic Paris 2024 organising committee director Etienne Thobois said. If optimism is belied by the withdrawals, the race could be postponed or transformed into a duathlon, thus eliminating the swimming portion of the competition.
Storm
But the weather forecast is contrary. Another storm is forecast for tonight. While for the ten-kilometer open water races, there is more weather. They are scheduled for August 8 and 9. “A lot of work has been done on the Seine and I am confident that everything will be fine,” insists the Frenchman Léo Bergère. Who claims to have seen competition sites much dirtier than the Seine. “In Tokyo, it was clearly necessary to avoid drinking water, and this happens in many big cities.”
Read also:
