Water Quality Concerns Halt Paris Olympics Swimming Test in Seine

FILE - Athletes dive and swim in the Seine river from the Alexander III bridge on the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - Athletes dive and swim in the Seine river from the Alexander III bridge on the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
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Water Quality Concerns Halt Paris Olympics Swimming Test in Seine

FILE - Athletes dive and swim in the Seine river from the Alexander III bridge on the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - Athletes dive and swim in the Seine river from the Alexander III bridge on the first leg of the women's triathlon test event for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Another Paris Olympics test run in the Seine River was canceled on Saturday because of concerns about water quality, in a fresh blow to Games organizers and the city’s ambitions to reopen the iconic river to public swimming.
Triathlon swimmers took to the Seine in competition on Thursday and Friday, but results of water quality tests showed “significant discrepancies” in the hours leading up to Saturday’s scheduled paratriathlon events, organizers said in a statement. The competition was transformed into a duathlon of just running and biking, The Associated Press reported.
Water safety officials are trying to determine why two testing systems used for the river produced different results. One indicated too-high levels of bacteria overnight, said Pierre-Antoine Molina, who oversees public policy for the Paris regional administration. Rainfall in recent days may have been a factor.
A previous test event had to be canceled this month because heavy rain caused overflows of untreated waste in the Seine, leaving water quality below safety standards. Rainfall also hit Paris ahead of Saturday’s cancellation.
Paris is spending massively on water-management projects that officials say will make pollution caused by storms less frequent.
Olympics organizers remain undeterred in their mission to hold open-air swimming events along the picturesque river, viewing this month's cancellations as a learning experience.
The head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, said a contingency plan will be in place next year to allow swimming events to be postponed for a few days if water quality isn't up to standard.
But there's no plan B for moving the competition.
"We will remain in this extraordinary location, no matter what happens,'' said Estanguet, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in canoe slalom. ‘’We want to preserve this ambition.''
The plan for Olympic and Paralympic athletes to swim in the Seine dovetails with city hall's efforts to clean up the long-murky waterway. Paris has promised more transparency about its cleanup efforts than Rio de Janeiro, where concerns about sewage-contaminated water dogged the 2016 Olympics.
This week's triathlon takes athletes and spectators — watching for free — to some of the French capital’s most striking vistas: The swim starts from the bottom of the 19th-century Alexandre III bridge and its golden statues. The bike and run laps go along the Champs-Elysees and through some prestigious neighborhoods.
New tests will be conducted and a decision will be made early Sunday on whether Sunday’s swimming events can be held as scheduled, organizers said.



Luis Suarez Signs to Stay with Messi and Inter Miami for 2025 Season

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
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Luis Suarez Signs to Stay with Messi and Inter Miami for 2025 Season

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Lionel Messi walks off the field at the half time of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Peru at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Luis Suarez is going to play alongside Lionel Messi for at least one more year, The Associated Press reported.
Suarez and Inter Miami have agreed on a one-year contract extension for the coming season, the team announced Wednesday.
The financial terms weren't disclosed. Suarez made $1.5 million this year in his first Inter Miami season, one in which the Uruguayan striker scored 20 goals — tied with Messi for the team lead — in Major League Soccer regular season play and a team-best 25 goals across all competitions.
“I’m very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to enjoy being here with this fanbase, which for us is like family," Suarez said in comments distributed by the team. “We feel very, very connected with them, and hopefully, next year, we can bring them even more joy.”
Inter Miami set MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765) during this MLS regular season, one in which the club went 22-4-8 and captured the Supporters Shield. The club failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs, falling to Atlanta United in the best-of-three series.
The contract extension for Suarez, who turns 38 in January, keeps the Inter Miami core of stars with Barcelona ties together. Suarez plays at Inter Miami alongside Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, a group that teamed up with the powerhouse Spanish club in past years. And newly named Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano — his hiring was made official on Tuesday — also played with that foursome at Barcelona.
“In 2024, Luis brought to Inter Miami all of the elements that make him one of the greatest strikers of all time," Inter Miami football operations president Raul Sanllehi said. "He performed at an elite level for us, and we’re excited to see that continue next season. Luis was not only our leading scorer this season, but also a leader for the group. His impact cannot be understated.”
Suarez has represented Uruguay in the last four World Cup competitions. He's played for Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, among other clubs, and has earned a slew of honors — Dutch player of the year, FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball, Premier League Player of the Season and World Cup All-Star Team among them.