Except the current Ironman World Champion is French. And the French have multiple realistic medal opportunities in both male and female categories in triathlon.

So it would almost be like Norway not having their ski jump tower built in time if the Olympics were there.

Point being the French Olympic committee is going to care much more about a sport they have a strong chance of winning than one they don't.

So enter tinfoil hat mode: do the French benefit a little more if it's a duathlon or shortened swim?

The French would benefit most out of there being a swim, especially the men!

Report on Triathlete.com about this....

https://www.triathlete.com/...Ab6XvuOIM2HS0jyxzQBw

Good article that seems to explain where things stand - it seems the swim will be a go if the readings are even within range of the acceptable levels……it states they can allow the swim even if over stated tolerance levels which is interesting.

It’s a cool venue and I get the desire to make it work. Not sure I’d want to be swimming 10k in it like the marathon swim !

Being able to move the race to a few days after the rain event is your answer.

Poor para athletes yeah they’ll likely be told it’s Duathlon after all the crowds and pomp and circumstance are gone.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Then there should be no chance of the swim not happening. If it was a sport with no medal chances, yes I could see them not caring. But they could have 4+ medals in triathlon alone.

Forget the water quality, they have a shark problem.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

An article about British Triathlon’s infection prevention plan.

It’s all very well disinfecting the athletes straight after the race - but they will be drinking on the bike and run before that!

https://www.theguardian.com/...athlon-swim-in-seine

https://www.pressreader.com/australia/the-guardian-australia/20240417/282553023282245
With respect, this is not a 'prevention' plan, it's a risk mitigation plan. Can't stop ingestion of water when swimming.
They describe how they will try to minimise infection (from all sources not just swimming water) and this applies to training sessions too. These protocols will be rehearsed, adopted for the month before, and actually, albeit a pain, would be good practice in the run up to every WTCS event (and worth considering for long course athletes too).
But it will be practical: the aim is to reduce to ALARP so in a competitive environment, of course drinking and eating is just a risk that will have to be accepted. But have disinfectant wipes readily available during training.
Get the kefir in!

My understanding is no one's been allowed to swim in that river for decades as its that filthy, it just blows the mind that a back up course wasn't thought about!

Paris triathlon was held from 2007 to 2012 with the swimming happening in the Seine, first in Bois de Boulogne then just in front of the Tour Eiffel for the last 3 years. It was a fantastic event, I specifically remember 2010 when the transition area was on the Pont d'Iena, which was closed for traffic for the weekend. Great memories.
I think in 2012 they had us sign a discharge on the water quality, but thousands of people swam (and drank some) in the Seine without any major issues. Or died silently :-)
For the first years, they specifically highlighted how the water quality had greatly improved, mentioning lots of fish species back in the river.

Paris Police authorities (who at the time were fed up with securing yet another sporting event in Paris, and looked for a way to end it) finally involved the regional health authority in 2013, who of course said swimming in the Seine was not safe, and that killed the event for several years.

My point is that the average water quality is not worse now than it was 10 years ago, it is in fact better (OK, perhaps not by a lot), given the constant improvement over the years. The big issue is definitely the constant rains / flooding we had in the past months (feels like living in Britain - pink), which explains the recent bad results. Unless July 2024 come as a BIG outlier in rain/storms (and even that should be balanced with the new retention bassin), the swim will be safe.