Search
shop

Paralympics at Paris 2024: Paratriathlon races WILL go ahead today as River Seine pronounced SAFE for swims

At last, we have a go for paratriathlon at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

At last, the paratriathlon races at the Paris 2024 Paralympics WILL go ahead today (September 2) – with swims as planned in the River Seine.

The grim topic of water quality in the Seine has been a thorny subject in recent weeks – first at the Olympic Games and now the Paralympics. With schedule changes and postponements causing major disruption for athlete preparations.

The initial plan for the Paralympics was to split the 11 races across Sunday and Monday (September 1 and 2), but then late last week the decision was taken to move them all to Sunday with concerning weather forecasts for the French capital.

But even that change wasn’t enough to guarantee racing, with the events all postponed after it was found early on Sunday that water quality was still not safe enough for swims to take place. The move was then made to move the races to today (Monday).

Advertisement

Paratriathlon gets green light

Finally, late on Sunday evening, the announcement came through that the races WILL go ahead today (Monday September 2), with the first of 11 events scheduled to go off at 0815 local time (0715 UK, 0215 Eastern Standard Time).

A statement from organisers read: “The results of the day’s analyses, combined with the real-time monitoring system of the microbiological quality of the water (Coliminder), show that the quality of the water continues to improve and will be below the World Triathlon thresholds on the day of the competition.”

A summer of Seine controversy

The controversy over the water quality in the Seine comes after a much-vaunted $1.5bn cleanup operation aimed at making the iconic waterway swimmable again after a century. But while it may yet leave a legacy for the future, the project has provided major headaches for competing athletes.

Those early-morning postponements, and constant doubts over whether actual triathlons could be held, have led to strong criticism from some of the sport’s biggest names.

2021 Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt said it was “disrespectful putting an event for the athletes in a place where it’s just a gamble.”

Belgian star Marten Van Riel meanwhile bemoaned the chaos in Paris, saying: “If the priority was the health of the athletes this event would have been moved to another location a long time ago. We are just puppets in a puppetshow.”

Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumHow to pace a triathlon to leave it all out there WITHOUT blowing up
FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO lens close up
FORM Smart Swim Pro 2 Goggles review: can these high tech goggles actually help you to train smarter and swim faster?
Premium‘The difference from triathlon is so big – there’s no comparison’: Maya Kingma on life in the Women’s WorldTour peloton
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
TRIFIT VORTEX tri suit
The small but mighty tri brand you NEED to know about: Why TRI-FIT are on a mission to disrupt the triathlon apparel scene
latest News
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘Yo Yo Yo – London is calling’ – Sam Long the latest big name added to stellar T100 start lists
Kristian Grue wins Norseman 2025
Norseman 2025: Grue and Skala conquer ‘Zombie Hill’ and the world’s TOUGHEST triathlon
Hayden Wilde happy T100 Singapore 2025
Hayden Wilde – is he BACK for T100 London after injury nightmare?
Sam Laidlow run Roundhay Park IRONMAN Leeds 2025
‘I’m ready for it’ – Sam Laidlow on why triathlon is hitting new heights in 2025 ahead of IRONMAN World Champs
Alistair Brownlee Olympics Triathlon London 2012 Podium Gold
Olympic icon Alistair Brownlee reveals most British thing ever when it comes to fuelling recovery
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...