Paris 2024 Olympic Games: we know the organizers' plan B in the event of non-held open water events in the Seine

La base nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne accueille déjà les épreuves d’aviron et de canoë durant les Jeux. MAXPPP – TERESA SUAREZ

The Vaires-sur-Marne site, which hosts the canoeing and rowing events during the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11), has been designated as a reserve site for the Olympic Games. rsquo;marathon swimming event if the Seine is too polluted, Tony Estanguet told the daily l’Equipe on Friday.

The Seine, which is to host the triathlon and open water events during the Olympics, remained unsuitable for swimming during almost the entire month of June due to bacteriological pollution too high.

And if the river recently passed below the thresholds defined by the European directive for four days, including two consecutive days (June 28 and 29), questions remain about the state of the water at the time. tests, and therefore their feasibility.

The Seine must host two events

The triathlon events are to be held on July 30, 31 and August 5, and the marathon swimming events on August 8 and 9. "For the triathlon we have contingency plans to postpone competitions which allows us to be relatively calm in the event of rainy episodes. As a very last resort, the regulations provide that we can switch to duathlon", Tony Estanguet reminded the Team.

"For marathon swimming, to guarantee athletes the holding of competitions, we have created a reserve site, the canoe and rowing site of Vaires-sur-Marne, which offers all the characteristics to host these events", assured the boss of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games on a daily basis.

After the publication on Thursday of the encouraging results, despite a flow rate of the river "four to six times" higher < em>"at the usual summer flow", underlined the organizers, the deputy for the Olympics and the Seine of the Paris town hall, Pierre Rabadan, estimated that these results were "rather a good omen for the future".