Shark fear for Olympic triathletes

Triathletes had more chance of being struck by lightning than bitten by a shark during the swim leg of Olympic triathlon test event April 16 in Sydney Harbour, Olympics organisers are insisting.

The test event incorporates a 1,500 meter swim in Farm Cove, with the start and finish line at the rear of the Sydney Opera House, plus a 40-kilometer cycle and a 10-kilometer run through Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens and Hyde Park.

The potential for a shark attack during the Olympic triathlon in September was highlighted earlier this year following a spate of reported attacks on boats and rowing craft in Sydney Harbour.

But organisers predicted the test event, which doubles as national selection trials for several nations, would be more competitive than the Olympics and consequently expose athletes to a greater chance of getting bruised by another competitor than getting attacked by a shark.

Marine biologists said the unseasonably warm waters had attracted sharks into the harbour in greater numbers than usual, but Olympics organisers said cooler water temperatures in September would diminish the presence of sharks during the Games.

David Hanson, SOCOG's triathlon competition manager, said the shark issue had been blown out of proportion.

"This whole shark thing has been overdone by the foreign media," he said. "There's never been a fatal shark attack in the Sydney Harbour in September."

There had been one shark attack in April in 208 years, he added.

Hanson said there was a perception in some countries that sharks were swimming around waiting to attack people diving into the harbor, but the reality was that triathletes were more likely to be hit by lightning than attacked by a shark.

Triathlon Australia had conducted five events in Sydney Harbour but the test event would be the first and last race over the official course before the women's Olympic race Sept. 16.

Hanson said organisers had followed guidelines and adopted preventative measures set out in a report commissioned by SOCOG two years ago to investigate the potential for shark attacks.

"Marine biologists say large groups of swimmers diving into the water is a deterrent to sharks because (sharks) would perceive that group of swimmers as something bigger than it is," he said. "We'll have a number of boats around the course, which also deters sharks."

Hanson said Farm Cove had little vegetation on the harbour floor, so it didn't attract any bait fish or smaller species which shark feed on.

Scuba divers would be positioned at marker buoys around the swimming course to ensure the safety of swimmers, he said, adding that the divers would be monitoring triathletes rounding the buoys in tight packs rather than keeping a watch for sharks.

Hanson said 75 triathletes would start in each of the women's and men's race on April 16.

"Australia has 10 triathletes among the top 20 in the world in both men's and women's categories and they'll be fighting for three spots at the Olympics - the competition will be more intense (at the test event) than it is during the Games," he said.

"Competitors from most the leading nations are in the same position."

The test event will also be the first and only time the Olympic Roads and Transport Authority can rehearse for road closures and public transport operations at the Triathlon venue.

ORTA general manager Geoff Amos said road closures for the triathlon and for the Marathon test event April 30, which includes closing the Sydney Harbor Bridge to traffic, would give the public a preview of what transport conditions to expect during the Olympics.