The International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced on Tuesday that the competition would be further postponed due to pollution levels in the River Seine, where the swimmers will compete.

The men’s final was due to take place on Tuesday, but tests of the water in the Seine confirmed that pollution levels remain high, putting the health of the athletes at risk.

Following the testing of the Seine in the presence of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games organisers, representatives of the International Triathlon Union (ITU), the ITU Technical Committee, doctors, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and others, the men’s race, which was due to start at 8am Paris time on Tuesday, has been postponed,’ the ITU said in a statement.

France has spent nearly 1.5 billion euros on sewage infrastructure as part of an ambitious plan to clean up the river and host open-water swimming and triathlon events in the city centre.