Two triathletes who swam in Seine are ill — with one in hospital with E.coli

Link between Seine’s water and illnesses yet to be established but doubts are already growing about Monday’s mixed event

Two Olympic triathletes who swam in the Seine last week are sick, including one in hospital with E.coli, as doubts grow about Monday’s mixed event.
Belgium’s team has withdrawn from the race as it does not have a replacement for Claire Michel, who has been hospitalised since Wednesday. The Swiss athlete Adrien Briffod also suffered a gastrointestinal infection, although his national body maintains it is “impossible to say” if it is linked to water quality in the Seine. Team GB, Telegraph Sport understands, are fully fit, with no athletes experiencing any ill effects.
Several outbreaks of rain, including a thunderstorm on Thursday, had already prompted some anxiety for organisers over the weekend. Independent analysis suggested E.coli readings on the Seine were high again but Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps said improvement was expected ahead of early hours tests on Monday.
Organisers have the option of moving the scheduled race to Tuesday if levels prove too big. On Saturday morning, Thomas Bach, the IOC president, had boasted that the event on the river was “Seinesational”.
Descamps, however, could say only that she was “hopeful” of the event going ahead on Monday. “We took the decision to cancel the swim familiarisation for the mixed triathlon,” she explained. “We shared the information last night in order to avoid late communication to the athletes. It followed the rain that occurred in the last days.
“We are expecting improvement in the next hours. I don’t have the last figures but we are expecting improvements regarding the weather forecasts. We are hopeful we can organise the competition tomorrow and we will take the decision as planned tomorrow morning regarding the last samples.”
Flemish media revealed how Michel was in hospital, with the national governing body saying only that the triathlete is “sick”. No link has yet been established between the infection suffered and the 1500m she swam in the Seine.
In a statement, the Belgian Olympic Committee announced the decision not to participate was taken “in consultation with the athletes and the entourage”.
“The BOIC and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions,” a statement said. “We are thinking of training days that can be guaranteed, competition days and formats that are clear in advance and circumstances that do not lead to uncertainty among athletes, entourage and fans.”
Great Britain’s Alex Yee and Beth Potter have been fine since taking gold and bronze respectively in the individual events. The men’s race had been postponed by 24 hours.
The open water marathon swims are scheduled for Aug. 9. Cassandre Beaugrand won a home gold for France in the women’s individual event on Wednesday before a dramatic comeback saw Yee snatch gold in the men’s event.