World Cup marred by water contamination issues, mirroring Olympic problems.
The World Championship open water swimming race in Singapore, scheduled to start at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. CET) on July 16, has been postponed due to poor water quality. The decision was made seven hours before the originally scheduled start, following consultations with World Aquatics, the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee, the World Aquatics Sports Medicine Committee, and the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Technical Committee.
The water at Palawan Beach, where athletes were training, was found to contain levels of contaminants, including E. coli bacteria, that exceeded acceptable safety thresholds set by World Aquatics. Specifically, samples taken on July 13 showed water quality levels that surpassed the regulations meant to ensure athlete health and safety.
The German team, including swimmers Lea Boy and Jeannette Spiwoks, has been training in a school swimming pool instead of the sea due to the postponement and water quality issues. The women's 10-kilometer race, initially set to start on July 16, has been postponed, and the athletes were woken up at 2:30 a.m. to be informed of the change. The race is now scheduled for the early hours of Wednesday morning (1:30 a.m. CET).
This is not the first time the German team has faced such challenges. They experienced similar issues at the Olympics in Paris last year, where water quality problems in the Seine caused major problems for the organisers, affecting the triathletes' competition plan and resulting in swimming and triathlon training cancellations.
Christian Hansmann, the board member for performance sports, stated that if the water quality isn't right, there can't be a race in open water swimming. Jeannette Spiwoks remains optimistic about the Singapore race, despite the postponement and the water quality issues.
The men's race, featuring Florian Wellbrock and Oliver Klemet, is still scheduled to follow at 4:15 a.m. in Singapore, assuming the water quality improves. The priority remains the safety and health of the athletes, and ongoing water quality monitoring continues with the aim to reschedule the events once safe conditions are confirmed.
[1] World Aquatics Press Release, July 16, 2023. [2] Singapore 2025 Organising Committee Press Release, July 16, 2023. [3] World Aquatics Medical Report, July 16, 2023.
[1] The World Aquatics Medical Report dated July 16, 2023 confirmed that the water at Palawan Beach contained contaminants, including E. coli bacteria, beyond the safety thresholds set for health-and-wellness.
[2] In view of the environmental-science findings, the science of sports and health-and-wellness were prioritized as the women's 10-kilometer race was postponed, and the German swimmers, including Lea Boy and Jeannette Spiwoks, had to train in a school swimming pool instead.
