Vincent Frank
Heading into the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, some of the talk surrounded the Seine River and whether the water was up to standards for events in France.
It was earlier this summer that officials were concerned over the pollution levels of the Seine River. Monitoring group Eau de Paris noted back in June that E.Coli levels were still 10 times above the acceptable limits. The tests were taken between June 17 and 23.
Yes, we’re talking about poop levels in the water. Remember, it had been illegal to swim in the river over the past century due to pollution levels.
We now have an update on this, and it’s not great.
According to CNN, Belgium has withdrawn from Monday’s mixed relay triathlon race and Switzerland had to switch up its roster after athletes from the two countries fell ill following the initial triathlon races in the river last week.
“The BOIC and Belgian Triathlon must unfortunately announce that the ‘Belgian Hammers’ will not be starting the mixed relay at the Paris Olympic Games tomorrow,” the Belgium National Olympic Committee said in a statement. “The decision, like this communication, was taken in consultation with the athletes and their entourage.”
A member of the country’s relay team, Claire Michel, fell ill and will not compete in Monday’s event.
“The COIB and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games such as guaranteeing training days, competition days and the competition format, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes and support personnel,” the statement continued.
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Summer Olympics: Organizers Say That Water Quality In Seine River Are Good
Pushing back against criticism, Summer Olympics organizers released a statement on Sunday indicating that water pollution levels are not an issue.
“Water samples taken in the Seine on the morning of the individual triathlon events showed the quality to be at a level considered ‘very good’ by World Triathlon’s criteria, according to results analysed and released the following day,” Summer Olympics organizers said in a statement.
Whether this is a coincidence or not remains to be seen. But given there was a lot of talk about pollution levels heading into the games, it doesn’t seem to be.
We’ll obviously find out more as the Summer Olympics in Paris continue. However, this certainly is not a great look.