Olympic organisers cancelled part of the Seine River triathlon training planned for Saturday, saying heavy rain may have made the waterway too polluted for swimming.

Paris 2024 organisers have announced that the triathlon mixed relay training will consist of only running and cycling elements.

The training sessions were cancelled due to “the heavy rainfall over the last two nights, especially in the upper parts of Paris, and the expected decrease in water quality as a result.”

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the past decade to clean up the Seine River, including major new water treatment and storage facilities in and around Paris.

But heavy rainfalls still clog the city’s underground drains and sewer system, causing untreated waste to be released into the waterway.

The cleanliness of the water has been a major topic of discussion at the Paris Games, with the men’s triathlon postponed for 24 hours on Tuesday because of the contamination.

Both men and women jumped into the Seine River on Wednesday after pollution levels were deemed “appropriate”.

Weather conditions during the Paris Games were extremely variable, ranging from heatwaves to floods, with torrential rain particularly evident during the opening ceremony.

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