VOA新闻杂志2024--Olympic Triathlon Delayed Because of Seine River Water Quality

The organization supervising the Olympic triathlon event at the Paris Olympics has postponed² the event because of water quality in the Seine River.

However, World Triathlon and city officials are hopeful the event, which includes swimming, bicycling, and running, can start on July 31.

World Triathlon is the sport's governing body, overseeing competitions and safety. Its technical and medical team met with the International Olympic Committee, and city and local French government officials. They decided³ to postpone¹ the event because of water quality.

How does water quality affect health?

Tests in June showed unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria although results in July showed improvement.

Dr. Nicole Iovine is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She said while most kinds of E. coli are not harmful, high numbers can be dangerous. The presence of E. coli is a sign that human and animal waste is in water. The World Triathlon Federation⁴ considers E. coli levels higher than 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters to be unsafe.

Swimming in water with unsafe levels of bacteria can lead to feeling sick to the stomach and intestinal⁵ problems. Swimmers are likely to swallow water, which can lead to diarrhea. The bacteria can also infect the urinary tract⁶ or open cuts.

Iovine said, "The athletes are young, and they're in the best shape of anybody...But that doesn't mean they can't get sick from these things."

Officials are hoping for sunny weather. The ultraviolet light in sunlight can kill bacteria and higher temperatures bring levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the river water to within safe limits.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told French news media on Monday that officials are "absolutely serene⁷ about all this." She said plans put in place to control the bacterial⁸ levels in the river have worked, but the weather was beyond their control.

Why is the Seine River polluted?

Swimming in the Seine River has been banned for more than 100 years. But Olympic officials wanted to have the swimming part of the triathlon event in the city's famous waterway. So, Paris officials spent $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine.

Paris is an ancient city. And like many old cities, it has what is known as a combined sewer⁹ system. That means the city's wastewater and storm water flow through the same pipes. When heavy rainfall happens, the pipes carry the extra "storm water" along with wastewater into the river instead of a sewage treatment center. As a result, untreated human waste goes directly into the river after heavy rains.

Iovine said bacteria, viruses and parasites¹⁰ get into the water through human waste. But other things too.

"It's also wildlife - rodents¹¹, for example. When it rains a lot, all of that from those animals can end up in the Seine," she said.

To prevent the wastewater overflow¹², Paris officials built a huge basin next to the Austerlitz train station. It is supposed to capture extra rainwater to keep waste from flowing into the river. They also rebuilt parts of the sewer system and improved water treatment centers. However, heavy rain can still overwhelm the system.

The rain that took place during the weekend of the Olympic opening ceremonies filled the basin by 20 percent. So, officials said the pollution was likely coming from wastewater upstream.

If the water quality does not improve, officials are considering holding the event on August 2.

Words in This Story

unit -n. one amount of something

urinary tract -n. (medical) the tubes that carry liquid waste from the kidneys out of the body

serene -adj. peaceful and untroubled

sewer -n. pipes used to carry wastewater

basin -n. an area or container that holds water

upstream -adj. the part of a river or stream that is closer to the source (opposite: downstream)

1 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

2 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 intestinal   

adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌

参考例句：

• A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
• This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句

6 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

7 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

8 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

9 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

10 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

11 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

12 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。