Olympic marathon swim going ahead despite health concerns
A practice session for Olympic marathon swimmers will take place in the Seine on Wednesday as the river’s contamination issues continue to make headlines.
The swim test was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but organisers pushed it back a day due to concerns over water quality in the Seine.
Authorities hope that sunny weather and rising temperatures in Paris will reduce E. coli and other bacteria levels to safe limits.
Fluctuating bacteria levels threaten multiple events
The notoriously polluted waterway around the French capital has presented ongoing challenges due to inconsistent bacteria levels during the Games.
Relevant authorities met earlier in the week and confirmed that bacteria levels were within acceptable limits.
The women’s marathon swim will take place on Thursday, followed by the men’s race on Friday.
The triathlon mixed relay took place in the Seine on Monday.
Subsequent water quality tests conducted by World Triathlon revealed that E. coli and enterococci levels within the triathlon course were within acceptable limits during the event.
Organisers confident of water quality ahead of marathon swimming events
Organisers expressed confidence that the marathon swimming events would go ahead as planned in the Seine, citing a favourable weather forecast and positive predictions.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who famously took a swim in the Seine last month to quell contamination fears, also believes the water quality will not hinder the scheduled events.
“We will, of course, wait to get the results of the water quality, but the event will take place because there’s been a clear improvement of the weather these past few days,” Hidalgo said.
“So, I’m really proud and happy and to all those who want to continue saying it’s impossible to depollute a river, I tell them, ‘Yes, it’s possible, we did it.’”
Bright medal prospects for Australia
Australia boasts a strong history in marathon swimming and open-water events.
This year, the nation has sent a four-member team for Olympic marathon swimming events, which is the largest in its history.
Australia’s team is led by Chelsea Gubecka, a silver medallist at the 2023 World Championships.
She is joined by Moesha Johnson, who transitions from the pool to open water, and newcomers Nicholas Sloman and Kyle Lee, all making their Olympic debuts.
Olympics bookmakers have both Gubecka and Johnson priced at $10 to win gold, while Sloman and Lee are paying $17 and $34, respectively.