With three weeks to go until the Paris Olympics, organizers are drawing up contingency plans amid lingering questions about the safety of the Seine River, where open water swimming events will be held during the Summer Games.
The latest test results from monitoring group Eau de Paris, released on Thursday, raised some hopes after last week’s findings that water pollution levels in Paris’ Seine had improved.
According to data released by the city of Paris, E. coli and enterococci concentrations were below legal limits for six out of nine days between June 24 and July 2.
“Despite the high flow rates, the water quality of the Seine improved during the observation period, and water quality was within the limits defined by European guidelines for six days,” the city said in a statement accompanying the results.
Test results from a week ago showed Enterococcus concentrations exceeding 1,000 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 ml, more than double the 400 cfu per 100 ml limit set by European law, and E. coli concentrations almost four times the allowable limit.
Joel Strathe-McClure, 75, from the United States, swims in the Seine River in Paris on Thursday, July 4, 2024.
AP Photo/Thibaud Camus
Mark Habash, associate professor in the University of Guelph’s school of environmental science, said if pollution levels remain high, Paris organizers will likely have to come up with alternatives to avoid putting athletes’ health at risk.
“If the levels of E. coli and Enterococcus are high, suggesting that the water is unsafe, then that water is considered to be of poor quality and in most cases, that would be the basis for a decision on whether or not to hold a swimming event,” he told Global News.
“If the water quality is deemed unsafe, swimmers will not be permitted to swim.”
The Summer Olympics will begin on July 26 with the opening ceremony, which will see more than 10,000 athletes cruise on boats down the Seine.
The marathon swimming competition on August 8 and 9 and the triathlon competition on July 30, July 31 and August 5 are also scheduled to take place on the Seine.
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On Friday, organizers told Reuters they were considering other options, including finding another venue for the marathon swim or eliminating the swim event from the triathlon entirely.
“The World Triathlon rules allow for the race to be held in duathlon format as a last resort,” a Paris 2024 spokesperson told Reuters in French.
“In the meantime, we have started working on a fallback plan based at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium to ensure that the marathon swimming race can still take place in the event that all other contingency plans are exhausted,” the spokesperson said.
“Already used for rowing and canoeing events, the venue has all the capabilities needed to host such events should the need arise.”
Organizers told The Associated Press on Friday that the event could be postponed for several days if conditions on the Seine River become unsafe.
Global News has not received a response from Paris 2024 on the safety of the Seine and alternative plans as of press time.
Habashi said it’s not uncommon for sports organizations to test water quality ahead of competitions to make sure it’s safe for swimming.
The Canadian Olympic Committee told Global News that its medical team is in frequent contact with the World Aquatics Championships and Paris 2024 organizers, and that the health and safety of Team Canada is its top priority.
“We are confident that we can safely hold the event on the Seine,” the COC said in an emailed statement.
In the French capital, the Seine River was cleaned up so people could swim in it again, just as it did during the 1900 Paris Olympics.
But last summer, pre-Olympic swimming events were canceled due to sewer problems.
People sit among street stalls along the Seine River in Paris on Thursday, July 4, 2024.
AP Photo/Thibaud Camus
Because water pollution levels vary depending on a number of factors including rainfall and water temperature, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee is hoping for favorable weather conditions during the Games.
Habash said recent, heavier than usual rainfall was a major factor in the increased numbers of E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria.
“If there is not a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to the Olympics, we expect the rainfall to decrease over time,” he said.
“And what we really don’t know at this point is, is there going to be more rain? And if there is more rain, the water levels could remain high.”
Experts say they use E. coli and Enterococcus to measure water quality by testing for sewage or fecal contamination.
Ted Steiner, an infectious disease physician at Vancouver General Hospital, said that while E. coli infections can occur in water in certain cases, it is generally not the biggest problem.
He told Global News that the E. coli is a sign that there may be other, potentially more contagious parasites, bacteria or viruses present.
“What concerns swimmers is that they could get water into their mouths while breathing and potentially ingest large amounts that could be painful if swallowed,” he said.
Gastrointestinal infections can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, Habashi said. He added that there is also a risk of ear and respiratory infections.
Steiner said skin infections in rivers are relatively rare and usually occur when there is serious damage, such as a cut or abrasion.
He said the risk of getting sick from contaminated water is higher for people with compromised immune systems.
Steiner said that while there are medications that can be used to treat someone if they get sick, most infections resolve spontaneously.
“When a young, healthy athlete with a normal immune system gets sick, it’s usually a disease that goes away on its own, usually in less than a week, sometimes a little longer,” he said.
— With files from Reuters and The Associated Press.
