The Seine, long known for its poor water quality, was the venue for the men's, women's and mixed relay triathlon events, and is also set to host the 10-kilometer open water swims from Aug. 8 to 9. Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923 due to its human feces-infested polluted water. (Related: Olympic swimmers forced to swim through HUMAN FECES-infested waters in Paris after opening ceremony mocked Christianity.)
Several triathletes have been hospitalized after swimming in the Seine.
Adrien Briffod of Switzerland, who finished 49th out of 50 participants in the men's triathlon on Aug. 4, immediately became seriously ill with a gastrointestinal infection. Briffod's condition prevented him from competing in the mixed relay the next day for the Swiss team. Swiss triathlete Simon Westermann, who was supposed to replace Briffod at the mixed relay, also came down with a stomach infection.
Claire Michel of Belgium was also hospitalized with E. coli infection after finishing 38th in the women's triathlon event. This led to Belgium's withdrawal from the mixed relay due to the inability to find a replacement for Michel, who had been ill for four days.
Norwegian triathlete Vetle Bergsvik Thorn also fell ill after finishing 17th in the men's triathlon event.
The upcoming 10-km open water swim events scheduled on Aug. 8 and 9 in the Seine are now under scrutiny. The organizers canceled practice sessions two days before the event and an alternative venue at Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris is on standby. The site was recently used to host rowing events.
Meanwhile, the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (BOIC) released a statement expressing concern over the safety conditions.
"The BOIC and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions. 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," the statement read.
Paris and Olympic officials insist the Seine is "athlete-safe"
Apparently, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the Olympic organizers were more interested in "showing off" the city than protecting the health of athletes from across the world.
In fact, France had invested approximately 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine in preparation for the Olympics, with daily bacteria contamination tests conducted before each triathlon race. Additionally, Paris officials introduced a massive underground water storage basin near the Austerlitz train station to collect rainwater and prevent waste from entering the Seine in May.
However, daily water tests in June still revealed unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria. The situation worsened in early July when an opening ceremony rehearsal was canceled due to high fecal bacteria levels after weeks of heavy rain had caused the river to swell up to five times its usual level.
Still, French officials made symbolic swims in the river last month. Hidalgo, along with Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games Amelie Oudea-Castera, dipped in the water to show confidence that the river is safe.
Jolien Vermeylen, Michel's teammate, expressed her dismay right after the race.
"I drank a lot of water," she said. "It doesn't taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course. While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much. The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can't say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That's b-------."
Watch this news report about the preparations done before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.
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