PARIS: Paris Olympics organisers have cancelled training for triathletes in the River Seine again because of poor water quality, leading to more uncertainty over whether the mixed relay will go ahead as planned on Monday.
All training was cancelled in the river last week and the men's individual race had to be delayed by 24 hours because of pollution problems.
It finally took place after the women's event on Wednesday.
A heavy rainstorm on Thursday night is believed to have again dirtied the river's waters, with downpours known to cause discharges from the sewers into the waterway.
Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters that athletes were informed on Saturday evening that training had been cancelled for Sunday.
"It follows the rain that occurred in the last days," she said. "We are expecting improvements regarding the weather forecast... we are hopeful that we can organise the competition tomorrow and we will take the decision as planned tomorrow morning."
She declined to share the latest water quality readings.
The mixed relay triathlon features two men and two women per team in a sprint format, meaning a 300-metre swim, a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) bike ride and a 1.8km run.
It was introduced at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where Britain won gold.
The Seine is also set to be used for marathon swimming -- a 10-kilometre race -- on August 8 for women and August 9 for men.
Many triathletes were surprised by the strength of the Seine's currents last week, while some also complained about the water and delays for training and the men's competition.
"While swimming under the bridge, I felt things and saw things that you shouldn't think about too much," Belgian competitor Jolien Vermeylen told the Parisien newspaper afterwards, without saying more.
Paris organisers said that the water quality was "very good" based on criteria used by World Triathlon.
The levels of E.Coli bacteria -- a key indicator of faecal matter -- were clocked at 192-308 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (cfu/ml) on the day of the races, well below the upper limit of 1,000 cfu/ml.
Dirty Seine causes fresh suspense at Paris Olympics
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Dirty Seine causes fresh suspense at Paris Olympics
Barcelona blitz Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to book place in Super Cup final
- Catalans turn uncertainty into complete control with breathtaking 16-minute spell that saw them race into a four-goal lead before the interval
- Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0
JEDDAH: It did not look like the easiest opening 20 minutes for Barcelona in Jeddah during their encounter with Athletic Bilbao. Yet in a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval.
More than 50,000 fans packed the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah to witness the spectacle, although the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal were rested, allowing opportunities for youngsters like Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez.
Lopez would emerge as one of the standout performers of the night. While his threat inside the box was evident, it was his creativity that truly shone in front of the Jeddawi crowd.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A sweeping move from side to side ended with Raphinha finding Bardghji on the right, whose cutback was met by Lopez before being laid off for Ferran Torres to finish calmly for 1-0.
Just eight minutes later, an exquisite backheel from Pedri released Raphinha down the left flank once again, with his low cross this time finding Lopez to double Barcelona’s advantage.
Lopez contributed to his third goal of the night minutes later, this time slipping Bardghji down the right. The Kuwaiti-born winger skipped past Adama Boiro before striking at goal, with Unai Simon mishandling the ball as it trickled over the line.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of slowing down. Raphina finally got on the scoresheet in emphatic fashion with a belter into the top corner in the 38th minute.
To the surprise of many, neither side made any changes at the break. That decision quickly proved costly for Bilbao, as Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the contest beyond reach, Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde rang the changes, making five substitutions to give minutes to his squad.
Barcelona, meanwhile, eased off to conserve energy ahead of Sunday’s final. To the delight of the crowd, both Rashford and Yamal were introduced, with Yamal receiving a warm standing ovation upon his entrance in the 72nd minute.
The emphatic victory marks Barcelona’s second consecutive five-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup, following last year’s 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the final.
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday, as Real Madrid face Atlético Madrid, with the winner set to meet Barcelona in Sunday’s final.
