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Olympic Organizers Cancel Second Day of Triathlon Training in Seine over Pollution

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
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Olympic Organizers Cancel Second Day of Triathlon Training in Seine over Pollution

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP

Olympic organizers canceled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned for Monday after weekend downpours in Paris polluted the waterway, but said they were "confident" the medal events would be held this week.
In a joint statement, Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon said they had taken the decision to cancel Monday's swimming training session because "water quality levels... do not present sufficient guarantees" to allow it to take place, Agence France Presse said.
The triathlon is the first Olympic event due to be held in the Seine, before marathon swimming in the second week of the Games. A swimming training session slated for Sunday was also canceled due to the pollution levels.
The men's individual triathlon is scheduled to start on Tuesday at 8:00 am (06000 GMT), with the women's individual event to be held on Wednesday.
The quality of the Seine's water is dependent on the amount of rain that falls in and around Paris.
Heavy downpours of the sort seen on Friday during the sodden opening ceremony of the Games overwhelm the city's sewage system, leading to discharges of untreated effluent into the waterway.
The Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon, however, said they were "confident" that water quality would improve sufficiently before the start of competition on Tuesday, taking into account the weather forecast for the next 48 hours.
After downpours on Friday and Saturday, the sun has returned to the French capital since Sunday morning.
Due to an exceptionally wet spring and start to summer, the Seine had been consistently failing water tests until the start of July.
Levels of the E.Coli bacteria -- an indicator of fecal matter -- were sometimes 10 times higher than authorized limits.
Paris 2024 organizers have the ability to delay the outdoor swimming events by several days in the event of rain.
As a last resort, they have said they will cancel the swimming leg of the triathlon and move the marathon swimming to Vaires-sur-Marne, on the Marne river east of Paris.
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the last decade to clean up the Seine.
On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine along with Paris 2024 chief organizer Tony Estanguet to demonstrate it was ready for the Olympics.

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Sports

Verona's Ancient Roman Arena Gets Modern Facelift for 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Visitors enjoy their tour at the Arena of Verona, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Visitors enjoy their tour at the Arena of Verona, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
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Verona's Ancient Roman Arena Gets Modern Facelift for 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Visitors enjoy their tour at the Arena of Verona, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Visitors enjoy their tour at the Arena of Verona, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Verona’s ancient Roman Arena will receive a modern facelift and become more accessible to people with disabilities ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, where it will host both the Olympic closing ceremony and the Paralympic opening ceremony.

Built by the Romans in the 1st Century, the Verona Arena was envisioned for gladiator fights and ancient hunts of exotic beasts, repurposed as a Medieval marketplace and most recently functions as the venue of a renowned opera festival.

In none of its previous iterations has the imposing structure been made suitably accessible for disabled people or those needing assistance of any kind. In addition, some safety features intended as stopgaps have endured for decades without being updated.

The upcoming Games have provided the occasion to give the ancient Arena — which predates the Roman Colosseum by decades — an accessibility and safety makeover before it hosts an expected 11,000 people for the Feb. 22 closing ceremony and nearly 10,000 for the Paralympic opening ceremony on March 6.

“This is an ancient monument that is some 2,000 years old, that remains active and hosts audiences,” said architect Giulio Fenyves, whose Milan studio designed the new safety and accessibility features.

“The occasion of the Olympics has made it possible to reconsider a series of logistical aspects, including facilitating the entry and exit, precisely because it continues to host major events with thousands of people,” The Associated Press quoted Fenyves as saying.

The facelift is part of an 18-million-euro ($21 million) project that improves accessibility for the entire area surrounding the Arena and is being overseen by the governmental company responsible for Olympic infrastructure.

The works include making a kilometer-stretch of sidewalks from Verona’s main train station to the Arena safer for wheelchairs or baby strollers by building small curb ramps. Dedicated bike lanes are also being built.

Paralympians participating in the Parade of Athletes up Corso Porta Nuova, across Piazza Bra, and into the Arena will find that the route has been significantly upgraded for people who require wheelchairs or have other mobility issues.

The work is being coordinated with officials responsible for the preservation of the monument as well as those overseeing accessibility codes to bring the structure more in line with current legislation.

The new elements “must be integrated in the most delicate and harmonious way possible to a monument that is both robust and fragile at the same time,” Fenyves said.

Inside the Arena, the centerpiece project is a wheelchair-accessible ramp clad with pre-rusted steel and the same Prun stone from the Lessinia hills above Verona that was used by the Romans to build the Arena.

The local stone gives the Arena its pinkish-yellow hue and contains fossilized shells — remnants of a prehistoric sea that once covered this region now known for hills and vineyards.

The ramp will be removable, but project manager Paolo Zecchinelli said he hopes that it will be retained as a legacy of the Games.

Until now, people with wheelchairs or walkers approached from a natural slope leading down from the adjacent Piazza Bra.

In addition to the ramp that is meant to blend with the Arena’s original features, the local organizing committee is planning an ad hoc temporary ramp to accommodate not only disabled spectators and athletes, but also the elderly, families with children and anyone needing assistance.

The overall project also includes a new railing along the top level of the Arena to replace one built in the 1950s that was meant to be temporary, as well as new handrails at varied heights on internal stairways and at the 72 entrances to the tiered seats. Bathrooms are being renovated by the city, and the infrastructure company is making new ramps to make them more accessible.

Work will continue after the Olympics and Paralympics, including the installation of an elevator that will allow people with limited mobility to reach the Arena's uppermost level, either to watch a show or take in a view of the surrounding hills.

“A part will remain as a gift to the city, which will help this beautiful monument to be more accessible both to people who tour it and those who attend opera performances and other concerts,” Zecchinelli said.

Sports

Jeers as Real Madrid Loses 2-1 to Man City and Pressure Grows on Alonso. Arsenal Wins, PSG Draws

Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
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Jeers as Real Madrid Loses 2-1 to Man City and Pressure Grows on Alonso. Arsenal Wins, PSG Draws

Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Real Madrid's Spanish coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso and a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday raised further questions about his future.

Arsenal remains perfect in this season's competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao.

The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round and Alonso had faced reports this week that he had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after a latest defeat. It’s now just two wins in eight games for Madrid and back-to-back home losses.

There were jeers inside the Bernabeu at the final whistle.

“We know it’s a tough moment for us and for the coach,” Madrid winger Rodrygo said.

“Things are not going our way and I wanted to show that we are behind our the coach. He has been trying. I wanted to show that we are together and we need to be united to keep moving forward and achieve our goals.”

Rodrygo had put Madrid in front in the 28th minute, but goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland before halftime sealed victory for City.

Alonso looked frustrated on the sidelines as he watched his blunt attack waste chances to salvage something in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappé, who was an unused substitute.

Vinicius Junior failed to hit the target with two chances from close range and Jude Bellingham lifted another effort over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Asked if he was worried about his future, Alonso said: “I’m worried about our next match. The important thing here is Real Madrid. It’s about the team, the players, and how I can help them. This isn’t about me.”

Bellingham said the squad was “100%” behind Alonso.

“The noise will not be helpful. So it’s about us trying to figure it out inside the dressing room,” Bellingham told TNT Sports.

Record 15-time European champion Madrid is seventh in the standings, with only the top eight teams automatically advancing to the round of 16.

“As a player inside the changing room, seeing what we’ve got in there, working with the coach every day, I think we have everything we need to turn it around,” Bellingham said.

Arsenal stays perfect Top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League, too, Arsenal swept aside Club Brugge to maintain its 100% record in Europe.

Noni Madueke scored twice and Gabriel Martinelli got the other for Mikel Arteta's team, which has seen its lead in England's top flight cut from six points to two in recent weeks.

There are no such concerns in Europe.

“Our mentality is our strength," The Associated Press quoted Arteta as saying.

PSG couldn't find a winner in Bilbao, but with 13 points after six games, the French giant has already equaled the total amount it picked up in the league phase last season before going on to win the trophy.

Italian champion Napoli lost 2-0 at Benfica, while Weston McKennie was on target for Juventus in a 2-0 win at Pafos.

Both Napoli and Juventus have only won two of their six games in the league phase.
Newcastle denied late Alejandro Grimaldo made the difference again for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring in the 88th to rescue a 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand missed the game for personal reasons, the club said an hour before kickoff.

Jeers rang out at full time at Borussia Dortmund after Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed a 2-2 draw, equalizing twice after Julian Brandt goals for Dortmund.

The result helps neither team, with Dortmund’s chances of direct qualification for the round of 16 taking a dent. Bodo/Glimt has three draws but no wins in its debut Champions League season.

Ajax rallies to beat Qarabag Ajax scored three goals late in the game to deny Qarabag a surprise win in one of the early kickoffs.

Four-time European champion Ajax twice trailed against its Azerbaijani opponent, but fought back to win 4-2 in Baku.

Qarabag has been one of the surprise packages in this season’s competition and led after 10 minutes through Camilo Duran. Matheus Silva scored two minutes into the second half to make it 2-1 after Kasper Dolberg had leveled for Ajax.

But Ajax powered back with three goals in 11 minutes. Oscar Gloukh scored in the 79th and 90th, with Anton Gaaei getting the other in the 82nd.

Copenhagen also scored late to win 3-2 at Villarreal.

Substitute Andreas Cornelius struck in the 90th to seal victory in a game where Copenhagen had twice been pegged back after taking the lead.

Sports

Saudi Arabia: Runners Invited to Race in AlUla's Iconic Terrain

The 2026 edition offers six race distances. SPA
The 2026 edition offers six race distances. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Runners Invited to Race in AlUla's Iconic Terrain

The 2026 edition offers six race distances. SPA
The 2026 edition offers six race distances. SPA

The AlUla Trail Race will return from 22 to 23 January 2026, offering runners from across Saudi Arabia, the region, and the world a selection of distances and challenges set against the dramatic landscapes and ancient heritage sites of AlUla.

In what has become one of the most anticipated highlights on the AlUla Moments calendar, the 2026 edition continues to grow in scale and ambition, offering six race distances designed to welcome every type of participant, from young first-time runners to elite ultra-distance athletes.

The race series includes the Kids Run (1.6km) for children aged five to twelve, the Sunset Run (3km) for runners aged 13 and above, the 10km trail run, and a 23km distance suited to more experienced participants.

For experienced athletes, the demanding 50km course provides a stern test of ability and endurance, while the 100km ultra trail race is reserved for the most resilient and skilled runners. All routes will finish in Old Town, ensuring an exciting finish for both runners and spectators.

The two-day format creates an atmosphere that combines athletic challenge with discovery, culture, and connection. On Day One (22 January), runners will arrive to collect their race packs before taking part in the Kids Run and the Sunset Run.

Day Two (23 January) will host the competitive distances, beginning at sunrise with the 100km, followed by the starts of the 50km, the 23km, and the 10km. Medal ceremonies will take place throughout the day as runners cross the finish line.

With participation numbers growing each year, and the global trail-running community increasingly recognizing AlUla as a world-class running destination, demand is expected to be high.

The AlUla Trail Race is part of the AlUla Moments 2025/26 calendar, a year-round schedule of events and festivals designed to celebrate and promote AlUla as a premier destination for tourism, sports, culture, and heritage.

Other world-class sports events include the professional cycling AlUla Tour, the exclusive AlUla Desert Polo, and the AlFursan Endurance AlUla - one of the most prestigious endurance races on the equestrian calendar.