At least two Olympic athletes have been forced to withdraw from events at Paris 2024 after swimming in the River Seine.
There have been concerns about the water quality of the river running through the centre of Paris ever since the Games kicked off last month – so much so that organizers delayed triathlon events due to contamination.
Races have since taken place in the water, but now two of the athletes who swam in the Seine have had to withdraw from events due to illness.
Belgium’s Claire Michel finished 38th in the women’s triathlon last week, but she since became too ill to take part in the mixed triathlon which took place today (August 5).
As a result, Belgium was forced to withdraw its entire team from the event.
In a statement, the country said it hopes ‘that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games’.
“We are thinking here of the guarantee of training days, competition days and the competition format, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes, entourage and supporters,” they added.
Meanwhile, Swiss triathlete Adrien Briffod has been struggling with a stomach infection and consequently also had to withdraw from the team relay.
Neither country have confirmed whether the illness are linked to the river, however, reports in Belgium have suggested Michel was infected with E. coli – a bacteria which can make you ill with diarrhea, vomiting and a fever.
