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
Undefeated boxing great Terence Crawford announces retirement
- Crawford, (42-0, 31 knockouts), retires as the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO supermiddleweight champion after defeating Alvarez by unanimous decision in a masterful performance
- Crawford’s career straddled three different decades, with the southpaw making his professional debut in 2008 and rapidly becoming one of boxing’s brightest talents
LOS ANGELES: Undefeated world super middleweight champion Terence Crawford announced his retirement from boxing on Tuesday, hanging up his gloves three months after a career-defining victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The 38-year-old from Nebraska, who dominated Mexican legend Alvarez in Las Vegas in September to claim the undisputed super middleweight crown, announced his decision in a video posted on social media.
“I’m stepping away from competition, not because I’m done fighting, but because I’ve won a different type of battle,” Crawford said in his retirement message. “The one where you walk away on your own terms.”
Crawford, (42-0, 31 knockouts), retires as the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO supermiddleweight champion after defeating Alvarez by unanimous decision in a masterful performance.
Crawford had also held the WBC super middleweight belt, but was stripped of it earlier this month following a dispute over sanctioning fees.
Speaking in his video, Crawford said his career had been driven by a desire to keep “proving everyone wrong.”
“Every fighter knows this moment will come, we just never know when,” Crawford said.
“I spent my whole life chasing something. Not belts, not money, not headlines. But that feeling, the one you get when the world doubts you but you keep showing up and you keep proving everyone wrong.”
“I fought for my family. I fought for my city. I fought for the kid I used to be, the one who had nothing but a dream and a pair of gloves. And I did it all my way. I gave this sport every breath I had.”
Crawford’s career straddled three different decades, with the southpaw making his professional debut in 2008 and rapidly becoming one of boxing’s brightest talents.
He won his maiden world title, the WBO lightweight crown, with victory over Scotland’s Ricky Burns in 2014.
Crawford won 18 world titles in five weight classes, culminating in his win over Alvarez.
He retires having never been officially knocked down in a fight.
All of his 42 victories have come by way of unanimous decision or stoppage, with no judge ever scoring in favor of an opponent during his career.
