Further doubt has been cast over whether the latest Olympics triathlon can take place amid ongoing concerns over the water quality in the River Seine.
A practice session pencilled in for Sunday was cancelled ahead of Monday’s mixed event after rainfall in Paris pushed pollution beyond permitted levels.
Organisers have said they will make a call on the mixed race tomorrow morning – just hours before it is due to start.
Should the historic river, in which Parisiens were banned from swimming for 100 years, remain unfit, Tuesday has been pencilled in as a back-up day.
The men’s triathlon, won by Britain’s Alex Yee, ended up being pushed back and both the men’s and women’s familiarisation sessions were cancelled earlier in the Games.
Beth Potter won a bronze in the women’s triathlon, and is due to be involved in Monday’s mixed event if it goes ahead
Levels of E. coli were deemed too high despite a £1bn clean-up operation. Many have questioned the logic of using the Seine for the event.
Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps did not reveal the latest test levels, saying she did not have the data.
‘We took the decision to cancel the swim familiarisation for the mixed triathlon,’ she said.
‘We shared the information last night in order to avoid late communication to the athletes.
‘It followed the rain that occurred in the last days. We are expecting improvement in the next hours. I don’t have the last figures but we are expecting improvements regarding the weather forecasts. We are hopeful we can organise the competition tomorrow and we will take the decision as planned tomorrow morning regarding the last samples.’
Around a month before the Games started tests from a monitoring group showed E. coli, which is linked to faeces and can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, sepsis and pneumonia, was 10 times higher than acceptable levels.
