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Days before they're set to plunge into the Seine River during the Paris Olympics, triathletes held out hope Saturday that the famous waterway's bacteria levels would be safe enough for swimming.
The swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event are both expected to be held in the river that flows through the heart of Paris. The men's triathlon is set for Tuesday, while the women are scheduled to compete Wednesday and a mixed relay event is to take place Aug. 5.
Water quality in the French capital is closely linked to the weather, and heavy rain during the Olympic opening ceremony Friday resurfaced concerns about the river’s safety for swimming. Showers persisted Saturday, but the forecast called for clear skies starting Sunday.
The city has taken extraordinary measures and spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to ensure that the long-polluted Seine is safe for swimmers, including building an enormous reservoir to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river. But bacteria levels still fluctuate.
Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli. Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris showed levels were acceptable as of Tuesday, the most current data posted online, but that was before the most recent rains.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made a show of taking a swim in the river on July 17 to ease fears. But test results released Friday showed that the levels were actually above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters that day at the Bras Marie. E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules.
American triathlete Taylor Spivey said at a news conference Saturday that she and her teammates have been trying to take measures to protect themselves.
“We've all been upping our probiotic uptake, which I think is the best way to assure that we have a strong gut and we can withstand any sort of sickness that might come our way,” she said.
Seth Rider, another American triathlete, noted that they participated in a test event in the river last year without incident.
“We actually raced here last year in the test event, and I don't think anyone got sick after the race, so that can't be said about all the races we do,” he said.
Spanish triathlete Antonio Serrat also felt reassured after his participation in last year's test and hoped to repeat that experience: “I remember last year it was a really special swim, and I hope to have the same feeling again.”
That test took place in mid-August, but earlier that month, an open-water swimming World Cup event was canceled after heavy rain caused overflows of untreated waste into the Seine, leaving water quality below safety standards.
USA Triathlon’s high performance general manager Scott Schnitzspahn applauded Paris' efforts to clean up the river.
“It's really monumental all the work and the money that's gone into developing a system to keep the Seine clean and our athletes safe on race day,” he said, adding that the team gets daily water quality updates at 4 a.m.
If conditions aren't safe on event day, there are backup plans. Organizers said the races could be postponed by a few days. But if the levels can’t be sufficiently lowered, the swimming portion would be scrapped and triathletes would compete in a duathlon — just running and cycling.
“We'll be ready no matter what,” Schnitzspahn said. “Triathletes are flexible, and these things happen in our sport, and we'll be ready to race either way.”
Spanish triathlete Alberto Gonzalez said he wants to compete in the full event that he traveled to Paris for but knows it's out of his hands.
“I trust the (Olympic) organization,” he said. “I feel calm and ready for whatever.”
Spivey also was holding out hope that a third of her preparation would not be in vain: “Hopefully we get to swim, bike and run because I don't swim this much to just run and bike.”
