No backup plan is criminal"; "There is zero guarantee that things will improve"- Fans react as men's triathlon gets postponed at Paris Olympics

The men's triathlon was scheduled for July 30, 2024, at the Paris Olympics. However, the event was postponed a few hours before its commencement after an inspection of the water quality by the authorities, leaving athletes stranded.

The safety officials confirmed that the level of pollution in the water was too high for the athletes to enter. The official statement released by the officials stated that they had decided to postpone the event owing to "health reasons".

This decision led to a huge uproar among fans who stated that it was very unfair for the athletes to be told about a postponement at such short notice. Moreover, they pointed out that despite spending $1.5 billion to clean the river Seine, the issues with the polluted water persist.

A significant concern that has been brought up in addition to the contaminated water issue is the absence of a suitable venue for the triathlon at the esteemed Olympic Games.

"Pathetic. This has been a well known (likely) risk, and the fact that there is no alternative swim location is a major failure. There is zero guarantee that things will improve #Paris2024," wrote a fan.

Another fan chimed in: "E-coli will not "disappear" in 24 hours!!! The '24 Olympics are already filled with controversy! Risking the health of the athletes because there's no "backup plan" is CRIMINAL."

"Have they really no alternative venue? If they have to drop this to a duathlon, I would be pulling out. Entirely destroys the integrity of the sport," wrote another fan.

Here are some more fan reactions:

" The water might not be clean yet, but today it looks like it will be raining so the water will be even more polluted tomorrow morning," wrote another fan.

" People couldn't swim in the Sienne for over 100 years so what made them think they could now? Have the brains to move the even [sic] somewhere else," another tweeted a fan.

" If the athletes' healthy [sic] was really their priority they would have never decided to hold triathlon events in that river. Pure and simple," another fan said.

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Official statement of World Triathlon on the matter

The international governing body for the Olympic & Paralympic sport of triathlon released a statement about the decision to postpone the event at the Paris Olympics.

"Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons. Despite the improvement in the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits. We will provide the athletes who are due to take part in the men's triathlon event with all information on its postponement, as well as real-time up-dates on the situation," reads an excerpt of the statement.

The triathlon events are now scheduled to take place on July 31, 2024, with the women's event starting at 8:00 am (local time) and the men's event starting at 10:45 am (local time).