Dirty water at World Cup
Races are postponed – national coach is upset
07/15/2025 – 05:39 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
At the World Cup, lousy water quality messes up the schedule. The first free water race is postponed. The athletes only learn about it after getting up.
National coach Bernd Berkhahn criticized the very short -term shift of the open -air water race of his swimmers at the World Cup in Singapore. “I can’t understand why such a message is only published so late in the night,” says the 54-year-old.
There, the competition (2 a.m./CEST), which was actually scheduled for 8:00 am today, was postponed for one day for poor water quality. Berkhahn and his swimmers only learned about it in the early morning. The notification for the shift came a good seven hours before the planned start – in the middle of the night.
The World Athletes’ Association said that the shift was in the interest of the security of the athletes. “While the tests have shown again and again in the past few days that the water quality at the venue complies with the limit values defined by World Aquatics, the analyzes of the samples taken on July 13 have exceeded these limit values,” says the message.
“If the water quality is not right, there cannot be a race,” Christian Hansmann, board member of competitive sports, was quoted in the association magazine of the German Swimming Association. “When swimming open water, a start always depends on the external circumstances. We are used to such shifts from the Olympic Games in Paris last year and know how to deal with it.”
At the Olympics, the water quality of the Seine had repeatedly caused discussions. Back then, Berkahn also commented critically. Several athletes had reported health problems after their competitions.
At the Palawan Beach in Singapore, the women’s race is to be made up for Wednesday on Wednesday. If the water quality is right again, the men with Florian Wellbrock and Oliver Klemet are at 1.30 a.m. (CEST). At 4.15 a.m., women should start with Lea Boy and Jeannette Spiwoks.