French city officials have hailed a “historic day” after the Olympic triathlon competitions were held in the River Seine just a day after it was deemed unsafe for swimming.
Tests on the water showed the men’s and women’s competitions could go ahead on Wednesday morning, resulting in victory – against all odds – for the city as well as for French athletes who took medals in the women’s and men’s events.
Pierre Rabadan, the former French rugby international, now a deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport and the Olympic Games, called the event a “historic day for Paris and the Olympics … and for ecology and the environment.
“We have faced a certain scepticism for several years now and this morning was the best response. We said we would hold the triathlon in the River Seine 10 years ago and we did it,” Rabadan said.
He added: “It was a challenge; we had a plan, we stuck to it and it was good that we did because we succeeded.”
The men’s triathlon was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday when the water failed quality tests. Despite the rain overnight, the races were back on Wednesday morning when the water was declared “satisfactory” for the men’s and women’s triathlons. Samples were taken from four points at the Olympic site and found to be well below the international limit for bacteria, including E coli.
Asked how the water quality had suddenly improved, Rabadan said soaring temperatures and the sun had helped. “We don’t play with the health of anyone, especially not the health of athletes. It’s not a game, it’s a scientific process and we follow the regulations. There is no question of a conspiracy. We are dealing with facts,” he said.
Antoine Guillou, a deputy mayor in charge of waste, cleaning and sanitation for the city authority, said that for more than a century, during which swimming in the river was banned, the Seine had been used as an overflow for the sewage system.
“We have reversed the tide of history, more than 100 years of history during which the Seine was considered almost as a sewer. That is an enormous satisfaction for us. We had a bet and it paid off. A symbolic line has been crossed,” he said.
Earlier this month, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, led 100 athletes, officials and local people by taking a dip in the river after a series of tests showed it was safe.
The lengthy clean-up operation that cost €1.4bn (£1.2bn) included linking more than 300 boats moored along the banks of the Seine to the city sewage system and the construction of a massive holding and treatment tank to siphon off bacteria-laden stormwater that would normally run into the river during heavy rains.
