By: Elaine Li

A triathlon is a competition that consists of 3 parts; running, biking, and swimming. For the Paris Olympics triathlon, athletes will have to swim in the River Seine. However, scientists were debating whether the water quality is safe. But, on the day of the race the scientists announced the river was safe to swim in and the event was not postponed.

The river was polluted because of the rainfall that overwhelms the pipes and all the runoff from the street goes to the Seine. The scientists did a lot to try and improve the quality of the water, but they can’t control the rain.

The officials decided to clean up the river and it took a whooping 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) to complete the task. A few weeks before the triathlon the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, swam in the river to show how clean it was. It also rained a few days before the event and scientists were unsure if the Seine was safe to swim in, but after a last-minute test the triathlon continued.

Over the last 100 years swimming in the river was banned because the water quality was not safe and could make people sick. Thankfully it was cleaned up before Wednesday, the day of the women’s triathlon event, though the men’s was postponed.

The athletes started swimming near Pont Alexandre III, and it was raining the morning of the event. During the biking portion of the race, there were several wipeouts and spills because of the slippery streets.

Aside from all the commotion about the river being safe, the triathlon did continue and now River Seine is cleaner than ever.