"The Seine River's water quality deteriorates, which was of concern"Kim Hwang-tae Paralympics"Triple of Iron Man"Schedule, postponed urgently to the 2nd
Sep 01, 2024
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The World Triathlon (World Triathlon Federation) said on the 1st (Korea time) 'World Triathlon Representative, Paris 2024 Organizing Committee and French authorities held an emergency meeting at 3:30 a.m. and monitored the condition and weather of the Seine River in Paris, and decided to postpone the triathlon for the disabled scheduled to be held on the 1st'
`Recent tests have shown that the water quality has deteriorated due to a surge in bacterial levels in the Seine River due to rain over the past two days, and the water quality of the Seine River, where the 'triple iron' swimming competition will be held on Sunday, 1st, is not suitable for swimming and has exceeded the World Federation's standards,' he explained. As a result, all 11 sports by weight class of the three disabled athletes, which were originally scheduled to be divided into two days, will be held on September 2, which will be postponed by one day.
The World Triathlon stresses once again that the health of athletes is the top priority for our federation and the Paris 2024 organizing committee, and under these circumstances, we cannot currently host the triathlon for the disabled"Information related to ticket purchases will be communicated to ticket holders within the next few hours" he announced.
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Kim Hwang-tae, a former Marine who lost both arms in a high-pressure line electrocution accident while on duty, has a disability rating of PTS3 (significant muscle damage and amputation). Among the 11 players, Kim Hwang-tae is the only player who does not have two arms from just below the shoulder. Swimming (750m) is the event in which Kim Hwang-tae, the medal winner in the 20km cycle and 5km marathon, is at a disadvantage. "My swimming record is 18-19 minutes, and it took 27 minutes on the Seine last year." The speed and water quality of the Seine River are expected to determine the fate of the medal. If the flow rate exceeds 1 m per second, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee will run 750 m upstream to downstream only, and if the water quality does not return by the 3rd, the competition will be held with only cycling and land except swimming. However, if the swimming event is canceled due to water pollution and changes to Duathlon, which only cycles and runs, it is advantageous for Kim Hwang-tae.
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