The poor water quality of the River Seine forced the Paris Olympics officials to cancel the triathlon session for the second consecutive day on Monday (July 29).
World Triathlon, the body that administers the sport globally is hopeful that the sunny weather in the city would bring the levels of E. Coli and other harmful bacteria down to the required level to complete the swim portion of the race.
Notably, triathlon is made up of three sports i.e. swimming, biking and running. While biking and running remain unaffected, the swimming competition that starts on Tuesday (July 30) is directly dependent on the water quality of Seine as the officials do not want to risk anyone's health.
The French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told French news channel CNEWS that the chances of the event taking place as per schedule on Tuesday are on the higher side.
"I am confident in the fact that we will be able to be there tomorrow for the men's triathlon event," she said.
As per reports, if the water quality doesn't improve to satisfactory levels then the organisers will do away with the swimming event and the athletes will be asked to compete in duathlon.
Notably, the organisers have spent 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion USD) to decontaminate the river in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics.
E. Coli is a type of bacteria. Most strains of the bacteria are largely harmless and are even found in the intestines of humans and animals. However, some of the strains can be really harmful and may cause diarrhoea.
The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo had taken a public dip in the river, about two weeks before the start of the Summer Games to alleviate the fears regarding the safety of water in the Seine and to showcase that it was ideal for hosting swimming events.
