Pollution levels in the River Seine in Paris led to the cancellation of the men's triathlon on Tuesday. AFP
Pollution levels in the River Seine in Paris led to the cancellation of the men's triathlon on Tuesday. AFP
Pollution levels in the River Seine in Paris led to the cancellation of the men's triathlon on Tuesday. AFP
Pollution levels in the River Seine in Paris led to the cancellation of the men's triathlon on Tuesday. AFP

Olympic blow as men's triathlon postponed due to pollution levels in River Seine


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Unsafe pollution levels in the River Seine forced the postponement of the men's triathlon at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

In a massive blow to Olympic organisers who have repeatedly vowed that the Seine would be safe to swim in, Tuesday's race was called off just hours before the start after last-minute water quality tests.

A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the spike in pollution levels on the heavy rain that fell in the French capital on Friday and Saturday.

The men's triathlon has now been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday, immediately after the women's event.

However, the forecast of a major storm with more heavy rainfall hitting Paris later on Tuesday has raised serious doubts over whether Wednesday's rescheduled events could go ahead.

Heavy downpours still overwhelm the city's underground drains and sewage system, leading to untreated effluent being released into the waterway.

If water quality does not improve in time, the swimming leg of the event would be removed and the race converted to a duathlon.

World Triathlon president Marisol Casado said she was still hopeful that the races could take place on Wednesday.

"We are all disappointed because we are not able to follow strictly what was planned," she told a press briefing.

"At this point, we are quite confident that we will have them [races] tomorrow and then we will be very happy all of us, the first ones the athletes."

Paris 2024 sports director Aurelie Merle added: "We are quite hopeful because you can see the weather conditions have been quite good over the past few days with the return of the sun and the high temperatures, which have a positive impact on the water quality."

Benjamin Maze, the technical director of the French Triathlon Federation, told FranceInfo radio that there was "a bit of anger" among competitors who had risen early only to learn of the postponement.

"The athletes got up a bit before 4am, they were having breakfast when we received the information from the international federation," he said.

"Obviously there's a bit of anger and a lot of disappointment."

The last race to be turned into a duathlon because of water problems was the Europe Triathlon Championship in Madrid last year.

Tuesday's weather forecast looked ominious.

National forecaster Meteo France warned about the danger of strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail and lightning from 6pm Paris time over the French capital which could be accompanied by "intense precipitation".

Around 25mm of rain fell on Friday and Saturday, the equivalent of the average rainfall for the whole of July, according to Merle.

The Seine is set to be used for the triathlon mixed relay on August 5 and then again for marathon swimming – a 10-kilometre swim in open water – on August 8-9.

Marathon swimming can be moved to another location in Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris if necessary.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine earlier this month along with Paris 2024 chief organiser Tony Estanguet to demonstrate it was clean enough for the Olympics.

The Socialist city leader plans to create three public bathing areas in the Seine for Parisians next year – a century after swimming was banned in the river.

In the women's event, Great Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown, who claimed individual silver and a gold medal in the mixed team relay at the Tokyo Games, has said she is just happy to have made the starting line this time after her injury struggles.

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'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

RESULTS

6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)

6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill

7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill

8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

If you go...

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The Meg
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring:   
Two stars

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Results

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)

5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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Rooney's club record

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 3 (Kroos 4', Ramos 30', Marcelo 37')

Eibar 1 (Bigas 60')

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is type-1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.

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Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.

Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.

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Predictions

Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:

  • Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
  • Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
  • Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
  • Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
  • Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai

Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore

Kamindu Mendis bio

Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis

Born: September 30, 1998

Age: 20 years and 26 days

Nationality: Sri Lankan

Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team

Batting style: Left-hander

Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)

RESULT

Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')

Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)

Updated: July 30, 2024, 12:47 PM`