It’s fair to say the eyes of the sporting world are now firmly trained on the skies over Paris as the Olympic Games triathlon descends into chaos in the French capital. And things are not looking good right now.
A massive €1.4bn (£1.18bn or $1.5bn) has been spent on cleaning up the iconic River Seine in the hope of making it swimmable for the first time in a century. Paris 2024 was hopefully set to showcase that work with triathlon swims set to take place in the Parisian waterway. But there is a major catch – as yet, the grand plan has not worked.
Tuesday’s men’s race has now been postponed until Wednesday, with both individual races now set to take place on that date (July 31). However a thunderstorm alert in the Paris area later on Tuesday could yet throw a further spanner in the works.
If Wednesday is a no-go, we will be left with the original reserve day (Friday August 2) to stage both individual races. If water quality is STILL not good enough then, races will downgraded to the dreaded duathlon format.
As swim/bike/run icon Mark Allen so eloquently wrote in a recent TRI247 column, the sport of triathlon would be the biggest loser if that were to happen, with the format of the event being changed literally hours before go time (decisions are being made at 0400 local time on race days, just four hours before the scheduled start time).
The latest news out of Paris is not hugely promising, with water quality levels causing the cancellation of both familiarisation/training swims (Sunday July 28 and Monday July 29). And now the postponement of the men’s race.
Everything now literally rests on the weather – recent heavy rains have again resulted in the water quality taking a nosedive – so the forecast for the coming week is absolutely crucial. Organisers are pinning their hopes of sunshine and dry weather producing the desired results, but so far that has not been enough.
Right now there is a fresh threat, in the shape of a yellow thunderstorm warning for the French capital, running through Tuesday.
Paris 2024 weather forecast
As it stands, the weather forecast for Paris in the coming days is as follows (correct today at 0500 local time/0400 BST on Tuesday July 30):
Tuesday July 30 (Men’s individual triathlon, postponed): Highs of 35 degrees, but no triathlon. There are yellow warnings in places for both extreme temperatures AND thunderstorms. Forecasts suggest that thunderstorms may not arrive until the afternoon or evening, which means any ramifications are more likely to threaten Wednesday’s action. The probability of rain, predictably, has soared from single digits up to 56%, with a thunderstorm 50% likely.
Wednesday July 31 (Women’s individual triathlon AND rescheduled Men’s individual triathlon): Another very hot day in the French capital. Highs of 31 degrees, very hot with partial sunshine and an afternoon thunderstorm in the area. Hopefully that potential thunderstorm should be too late to impact on proceedings earlier in the day (go time is 0800 local for the women and 1045 for the men). Chance of rain is 40% with thunderstorm set at 24%.
Thursday August 1: A little cooler with highs still at 29 degrees but still very warm and muggy. A brief morning show forecast followed by more showers later in the day and a 98% probability of rain. It’s now becoming clear why an unplanned Wednesday reschedule for the men is suddenly in play rather than just the initial Friday reserve day.
Friday August 2 (Individual triathlon reserve day): Highs of 27 degrees, partly sunny, warm and less humid. The chance of rain is currently set at 40% with a morning shower likely.
Saturday August 3: Highs of 27 and cloudy, with a 15% chance of some rain.
Sunday August 4: Highs of 25 with low cloud and a 25% probability of rain.
Monday August 5 (Mixed Relay triathlon): 27 degrees in Paris with long sunny spells. The probability of precipitation is 5%.
Tuesday August 6 (Mixed Relay triathlon reserve day): 29 degrees, rather cloudy, very warm and muggy with spotty showers. A 60% chance of rain.
What the weather means for triathlon?
Put simply, we need hot weather and sunshine, and lots of it.
Water quality levels when tested on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (July 27, 28 and 29) were below standard following the heavy rain both during Friday’s opening ceremony and Saturday’s events at Paris 2024. To get those levels up to scratch, drying conditions are needed.
The issues in recent weeks have been caused, per organisers, by unseasonal weather which has brought regular heavy rains. This puts pressure on the waterway systems, producing a stronger flow than normal, and potentially resulting in untreated sewage being released into the Seine.
This is why organisers have been pinning their hopes on hot summer sun producing the desired impact and ensuring the safety of athletes and the ability for events to proceed as planned. So far things have not gone according to plan, and E. coli levels have been a major cause of concern.
Now, with conditions causing absolute chaos, all eyes will be on those skies with all concerned praying for sunny conditions and incredible triathlon racing.
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