'What a s**t show': After opening ceremony, now Paris Olympics faces heat over water quality of Seine River

The men's Olympic triathlon, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed due to concerns about the water quality in Paris' Seine River, where the swimming portion was set to occur.

Organizers announced plans to reschedule the men's triathlon for Wednesday, with the women's competition also slated for that day. However, both events are contingent upon passing water quality tests. Forecasted storms for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings could further complicate the rescheduling.

Heavy rainfall often results in elevated levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine. Paris experienced significant rain during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, which continued into Saturday. As a result, the swimming portion of training events intended to help triathletes familiarize themselves with the course was canceled on both Sunday and Monday due to water quality concerns.

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The decision to postpone the men's triathlon was made during an early Tuesday morning meeting, which included representatives from the sport's governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team, and city officials.

Although organizers and city officials had hoped that bacteria levels would decrease as the weather improved with clearing skies and warmer temperatures, these conditions were not sufficient to guarantee the athletes' safety.

Paris undertook a significant effort to improve the water quality of the long-polluted Seine to host the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event in August in the iconic river running through the city center. However, bacteria levels have continued to fluctuate.

Daily water quality tests measure fecal bacteria levels, specifically E. coli, with European regulations setting a safe limit at 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. The monitoring group Eau de Paris releases these data every Friday, but they only reflect conditions up to the previous Tuesday.

High levels of E. coli in water can signal contamination from sewage. While most strains are harmless and naturally occur in the intestines of healthy people and animals, some can be harmful. Even ingesting a small amount of contaminated water can result in diarrhea and potentially lead to infections in the urinary tract or intestines.

Efforts to make the river suitable for swimming have cost 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion). These initiatives include constructing a large basin to capture excess rainwater and prevent wastewater from entering the river, renovating sewer systems, and upgrading wastewater treatment facilities.

Two weeks ago, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, Paris region government official Marc Guillaume, and local swimmers took a symbolic swim in the river. However, recent data revealed that E. coli levels in the Bras Marie were 985 units per 100 milliliters on that day, just above the acceptable limit.

Upcoming swimming events in the Seine include the triathlon mixed relay on August 5 and the women's and men's marathon swimming events on August 8 and 9.

Outrage over water quality of Seine River

The outrage over the Seine River's water quality has intensified as the Paris Olympics approach, with critics voicing their frustration over the river's persistent contamination issues. This comes days after Paris Olympics opening ceremony faced flak over a scene which critics say parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s acclaimed painting "The Last Supper."

The ongoing water quality issues have overshadowed Paris' ambitious plans, fueling skepticism about the effectiveness of the extensive investment and raising concerns about the safety and integrity of the ongoing Olympic events.

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"Paris spent $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine River for the Olympics. However, excess rain this past weekend swept millions of gallons of sewage into the river, and triathlon swim training has been canceled for the second day in a row due to E. coli levels. What a *shit* show," wrote one user on X.

Another netizen remarked, "Good. France didn't deserve to host the Olympics after Macron overthrow democracy against Le Pen."

"With all that money spent . No one thought of that scenario?" asked another irked user on X.

A fourth added, "Paris really is a $hithole, all that $ for nothing. I wouldn't swim in that filthy water."

Here's a look at some of the reactions on X: