Anne Descamps, Communications Director for Paris 2024, confirmed what no one wanted to happen but many had warned about. Due to the rain, the swimming leg of the familiarisation, the on-site training for the athletes ahead of the triathlon, which starts on Tuesday 30 July, was cancelled.

"It was a joint decision with World Triathlon to cancel the swim session of the warm-up. The running and cycling will take place as planned. This is due to the rain that fell in Paris between the 26th and 27th".

These statements have sent shockwaves through the Olympic world, disrupting preparations for the big event on Tuesday and Wednesday. The political cost of cancelling the main events could be enormous, with the public demanding that the Seine be cleaned up after a €1.4 billion investment.

But Descamps was optimistic that the events could go ahead as planned. "We are very confident about the weather forecast for the next 48 hours and, thanks to the work of our public stakeholders, the water quality will improve significantly over the next week. So we remain very confident," she emphasised.

Also this morning at the Paris Media Centre, French officials such as Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the River Seine, Pauline Lavaud, Advisor to the Mayor of Paris, and Antoine Guillou, Deputy Mayor of Paris, among others, explained the environmental work being done to journalists from around the world.

After the presentation and justification of the plan implemented in recent years, the most important part began: the questions from the press on the events of the last few hours relating to the pollution of the Seine. 

Pauline Lavaud, advisor to the mayor of Paris, and Antoine Guillou, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of cleanliness of public spaces, waste reduction, recycling and sanitation, responded firmly.

Lavaud started with a clear message about swimming in the Seine: "French athletes, if you ask them, are not afraid at all."

"Swimmers are happy and excited about swimming in the Seine. Mayor Hidalgo did it with 100 other people and nobody had any problems," the French official noted.

As for the high levels recorded after the rain on Friday and Saturday, Guillou played down their significance. "You have to understand that the levels are set for decision-making purposes; being just above or just below a number doesn't mean you get sick if you swim just above or just below the level".

He also defended the work of the clean-up team and the improvement in pollution levels. "Before the clean-up, we had triathlons in the Seine until 2012, I think. They had much higher levels of bacteria in the Seine, but there were no problems."

He also defended the work of the clean-up team and how pollution levels have improved. "Before the clean-up, we had triathlons in the Seine until 2012, I think. They had much higher levels of bacteria in the Seine, but there were no problems".

As for the federation's decision not to test the water (the two land tests were carried out) due to the high levels of pollution recorded, the official chose to respect the decision, although he played down its potential impact on the public.

"Of course decisions have to be made and we have to follow the rules, but it's not like swimming in a river with slightly higher levels will make you sick. I'm not a sportsman and I can't give advice on what to do, but what I can say for sure is that I swam with the mayor last week," said Guillou.

Finally, the deputy mayor of Paris said: "When we swam last week, we were below the level used by the federation. From my point of view, there is no problem. Compared to other circuits in the world, it's no worse".

Aside from the obligatory defences from Paris and its environs, the fact is that the triathlon discipline has had to change its preparations and it is not known for certain whether the competitions will take place as planned on Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 July.

The clouds have lifted over the French capital, much to the relief of the organisers.Despite the proven environmental improvements made to the emblematic river of the third Olympic Games to be held on French soil, the ultimate arbiter will be nature itself, which can either aggravate the "difficult times experienced by the officials" or make this just another anecdote of a highly ambitious organisation that has sometimes struggled to find the environmental solutions it had promised.