Belgian Triathletes Say ‘No Thanks’ to Seine River Swim: Water Quality Concerns Hit Paris Olympics

As concerns about the water quality of the Seine River persist, where some events of the 2024 Paris Olympics are scheduled, the Belgian triathlon mixed relay team has withdrawn from their event just a day before the competition.

BBC reported that the Belgian Olympic Committee announced that female triathlon athlete Claire Michel is sick and will not participate in the mixed relay race.

Although the Belgian Olympic Committee did not specify the cause of Michel’s illness, some noted that this announcement came amid ongoing controversy over the Seine River’s water quality.

Michel participated in the Seine women’s triathlon individual event on July 31. The mixed relay event was also scheduled for August 5.

On August 3, representatives from the Swiss team revealed that triathlete Adrien Briffod, who swam in the Seine, had contracted an infectious disease.

At that time, Swiss officials mentioned that they could not determine whether Briffod’s illness was related to the Seine’s water quality, noting that he was the only athlete showing unusual symptoms.

However, yesterday, Swiss officials reported that Simone Westermann, who was scheduled to compete in place of Briffod, also displayed symptoms of the same infectious disease and would be unable to participate.

Concerns about the Seine’s water quality have been raised consistently even before the Games began. Due to water pollution issues, swimming has been prohibited in the Seine, which runs through central Paris, since the early 1920s.

Nevertheless, the French government and the city of Paris invested approximately $15.3 billion to improve water quality by constructing underground water storage facilities, renovating sewage infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment.

As the Olympic opening approached, indicators confirmed that the river’s water quality improved to meet swimming standards. However, recent heavy rainfall has caused a rapid decline in water quality, leading to the cancellation of triathlon training and the first men’s event, igniting controversy.

According to World Aquatics standards, the maximum allowable concentration for E. coli is 1,000 colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters; for enterococci, it is 400 CFU. Swimming in water that exceeds these levels can lead to illnesses such as gastroenteritis and conjunctivitis.

Despite this, the Paris Olympic organizing committee officials have stated that “the levels of bacteria detected in the Seine are considered safe for athletes to swim.”

However, Lambis Konstantinidis, the event’s operations manager, mentioned on July 29 that they had considered switching the triathlon to a duathlon if extreme situations made planned measures impossible.

A duathlon consists of running and cycling only, excluding swimming.

With such issues continuing to arise concerning the Seine’s water quality, the Belgian committee 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.”