Training sessions at World Aquatics Masters Championships cancelled due to Sentosa’s water quality issues
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Competitors dive into the water during the men’s open water 10km final at Sentosa’s Palawan Beach on July 16.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Follow topic:
- World Aquatics Masters Championships open water training cancelled due to "water quality levels exceeding acceptable thresholds" at Sentosa.
- Similar water quality issues previously delayed the World Aquatics Championships open water swimming events, specifically due to high E. coli levels.
- World Aquatics is monitoring the water quality and a technical meeting is planned.
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SINGAPORE – The water quality issue that affected the World Aquatics Championships open water swimming events at Sentosa earlier in July has also struck the World Aquatics Masters Championships, with the morning and afternoon open water training sessions cancelled on July 25.
World Aquatics sent a message to participants and explained that the decision was made because of “water quality levels exceeding acceptable thresholds”.
The world governing body added that a technical meeting is planned for 4.45pm and that it will “continue monitoring water quality” and provide more information, before the competition starts on July 26 with the women’s 3km race in the waters off Palawan Beach. The men’s 3km event is scheduled for a day later.
The July 26-Aug 22 World Aquatics Masters Championships is expected to feature about 6,000 athletes from around 100 countries and territories aged 25 and above, competing in swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming.
The Straits Times has contacted the local organising committee for comment.
At the World Aquatics Championships, the men and women’s 10km open water swimming events were postponed due to “unacceptable water quality results”.
The women’s 10km initially scheduled for July 15 was moved to July 16, 10.15am, about three hours after the men’s 10km, because water samples drawn at the race site two days earlier showed “exceeding levels” of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.
However, results from a July 15 sample showed that the levels were still above acceptable thresholds, causing the men and women’s flag-offs to be further delayed to 1pm and 4pm respectively on July 16. The competition proceeded as scheduled from then on.
E. coli is a bacteria commonly found in the intestines of people and animals. While most strains are harmless, some can cause serious illness such as diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and sepsis.
According to World Aquatics regulations, E. coli levels in ocean and transitional (tidal) waters must not exceed 250 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres.
ST understands that World Aquatics adopts stricter water quality standards compared to guidelines set for recreational swimming, given the prolonged exposure faced by athletes during competition.
Earlier, World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki had noted that water quality disruptions were not unprecedented, with the Paris 2024 Olympics men’s triathlon postponed hours before the scheduled start due to pollution levels in the River Seine.
ST also reported that while the National Environment Agency does not usually assess marine water quality based on E. coli levels, it has started monitoring the bacteria levels at Sentosa’s beaches following the recent incidents.
