PARIS (Reuters) – Organisers were forced on Sunday to cancel the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris, after heavy rainfall caused the water quality in the Seine river to dip below minimum health standards.
The river is due to be the venue for marathon swimming at next year’s Olympic Games, and global swimming federation World Aquatics said “extra work” was needed to ensure back-up plans were in place for that.
“Disappointed is the right word,” French Swimming Federation head Gilles Sezionale said on local radio. “First and foremost disappointed for the athletes, who were dreaming of competing in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.”
Participants had been barred from morning training on Friday for the same reason.
Saturday’s women’s 10 kilometre race – a qualifying event for the Olympics – had originally been postponed to Sunday, when the Federation and World Aquatics cancelled both it and the equivalent men’s race.
“It’s obvious that extra work is required with Paris 2024 and local authorities to guarantee solid emergency plans are set up for next year,” said World Aquatics.
The Olympics committee said in a separate statement that new infrastructure would be up and running by summer 2024, which should ensure better water quality and make the Seine swimmable.
An 80 billion euro ($88 billion) underground overflow basin designed to prevent bacterial contamination of the river by heavy rains is expected to be completed before the games.
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; editing by John Stonestreet)
