PARIS — The Paralympic triathlon events scheduled for Sunday in Paris have been postponed due to concerns about the water quality of the Seine River due to heavy rains, organizers said.
Eleven paratriathlon events are scheduled to take place on Monday, if upcoming water quality tests clear the event, the Paris 2024 organising committee and the World Triathlon Federation said in a joint statement.
Storms battered the French capital on Friday and Saturday, with heavy rains causing sewage and wastewater to flow into rivers, raising levels of bacteria such as E. coli.
This is the second time the paratriathlon events have been rescheduled.
The event was originally scheduled to take place over two days, Sunday and Monday, but was moved to Sunday due to rain in the forecast.
The disruption is a new obstacle to the city's efforts to clean up the river for future public swimming, one of Paris' most ambitious promises ahead of this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The men's individual triathlon event at the Paris Olympics has been postponed and some test swims cancelled due to rising E. coli levels after rainfall.
Some Olympic triathletes have fallen ill after swimming in the Seine, but it is unclear whether this was related to the river's water.
