IOC chief calls Olympic triathlon 'Sena-sational' after athletes complain
The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach made a statement following the scandal with the main river of Paris.
A sports official decided to demonstrate a sense of humor in the face of complaints from triathletes.
The swim of the mayor of the French capital and the assurances of epidemiologists did not help convince the public that the Seine River is safe for swimming and competitions.
The triathletes' statements only fueled the debate around this topic, turning it into almost the main topic of the entire 2024 Olympics.
“The triathlon was sensational, or better yet, ‘Sena-sational’, I don’t know if you understood me, but I tried,” RIA Novosti quotes Bach as saying .
The IOC President believes that the issue of the cleanliness of the river attracted more attention than the triathlon competitions themselves.
And the attention is well-founded. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that “the impossible” had been achieved when the water races were held on the Seine.
The river had been closed to swimming since 1923 due to high levels of pathogenic bacteria. After 100 years, the Seine was declared safe again.
