Paris 2024: Triathlons postponed over water quality concerns in River Seine

The Paralympic triathlon events scheduled for Sunday have been postponed due to fresh concerns about the quality of water in the River Seine.

Eleven events were due to start with a swim leg in the river on Sunday morning, but organisers said they had been delayed due to a decrease in water quality following rain in the previous two days.

Chloe MacCombe and her twin sister Judith had been due to represent Team Ireland PTVI para triathlon, along with their guides, while Cassie Cava had also been due to compete in the PTS4 race. But they will all have to wait an extra 24 hours before getting their Paralympic Games underway.

The triathlon events have been rescheduled for Monday if continued testing shows an improvement in the water quality.

A statement from World Triathlon confirmed the postponement after a meeting with Paris 2024 representatives and French authorities at 3.30am on Sunday.

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"The latest tests show a decrease in water quality in the river following the rain episodes over the last two days," the statement read, saying the events would go ahead on Monday if the water tests complied with "established World Triathlon thresholds".

"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes and with these conditions, the Para triathlon events cannot take place today."

The triathlon events were originally scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday but were combined into one day because of forecast rain.

The men's triathlon during the Olympic Games last month was delayed by 24 hours due to concerns over water quality which also saw test swims cancelled.

Additional reporting: PA