PARIS, FRANCE – A boat sails on the Seine near the biathlon swimming course of the Paralympic Games. Over 4,400 athletes from all around the world will compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa (Photo by Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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PARIS (AP) — Paralympic triathlon competitions in Paris scheduled for Sunday have been postponed because of concerns about water quality in the Seine River after heavy rainfall, organizers said.
The 11 para triathlon events are now scheduled for Monday, if upcoming water testing allows, the Paris 2024 organizing committee and World Triathlon said in a joint statement.
Rainstorms hit the French capital Friday and Saturday. Heavy rains cause wastewater and runoff to flow into the river, leading to a rise in bacteria levels including E. Coli.
This is the second scheduled change for the para triathlon events. They had initially been scheduled to take place over two days, Sunday and Monday, but were moved to Sunday because of rain forecasts.
The disruption is another hiccup for the city’s efforts to clean up the river for future public swimming, one of Paris’ most ambitious promises ahead of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. The men’s individual triathlon event during the Paris Olympics was delayed and several test swims were canceled because of high E. coli levels after rainfall.
Some Olympic triathletes fell ill after swimming in the Seine, though it is unclear whether that was linked to the river water.
