Paris, 6 August (EFE) – The World Cup in free water swimming scheduled to take place on the Seine this Sunday has been suspended due to pollution in the river, the International Swimming Federation has announced.
Walls Aquatics explained in a statement that the unusually heavy rains experienced in Paris in recent weeks had resulted in water quality “below acceptable standards for swimmers’ health”.
This test is the fourth match of the World Cup special competition, which is divided into women’s and men’s competitions, and the distance is more than 10 kilometers.
International Federation president Hossein Musallam said that while the suspension of testing at the Paris center was “disappointing”, “the health of our athletes must always be our top priority”.
The decision may have taken into account events in Sunderland, England, at the weekend when dozens of athletes developed symptoms of gastroenteritis after competing in the Triathlon World Cup, caused by E.
In Paris, much heavier than usual rainfall in recent weeks has increased pollution, especially E. coli.
That led to the suspension of training on Friday and the postponement of the women’s test from Saturday to Sunday, which will take place before the men’s test, to give the waters a final chance to analyze at dawn today.
The purpose of the Paris Games is to be a rehearsal for the free water swimming and triathlon swimming competitions to be held on the same stage at the Olympics a year later.
The race will start at the same location as the Olympic trials, a historic bridge named after Tsar Alexander III.
Bathing in and around the Seine in the capital was banned for health reasons in 1923, but it is still done.
The French government and local and regional authorities launched an ambitious program many years ago to improve wastewater and stormwater management, with an investment of around 1.4 billion euros.
The goal is to make the river swimmable by 2024.
The World Aquatics Association recalled today that there are still several infrastructure projects that need to be completed in the coming months to ensure the quality of the waters.
World Swimming warned: “Clearly more work needs to be done by Paris 2024 and local authorities to ensure robust contingency plans are in place next year.”
The Paris authorities have assured that a number of facilities, including a large rainwater tank with a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters, will be completed by early 2024 to ensure the holding of the Olympic trials.
The city council has announced that by 2025, three bathing areas will be created on the Seine River that flows through the capital, a legacy of the Olympic Games for the capital’s residents.Effie
RCF/JAG