One of Belgium’s Olympic athletes fell ill and had to withdraw from the Paris mixed triathlon. Claire Michel, a member of the women’s team, finished 38th at the event on Wednesday.
She decided to quit the race after suffering from an illness. The Olympic Committee did not provide a reason for Michel’s withdrawal, and local media reported that the athlete might have been infected with bacteria.
Adrien Briffod, a Swiss triathlete, also decided to withdraw from the event due to an illness.
The country’s Olympic team noted that it was impossible to determine if the illness was caused by the River Seine’s water quality.
Despite this, the team still plans on competing in the mixed competition.
The event, which was supposed to be the final Olympic competition in Paris, is in doubt due to the city’s water quality.
The mixed relay was initially scheduled to take place on Monday, but it could be pushed back due to the high bacteria levels in the water.
Despite the high bacteria levels in the river, the organizers of the event noted that it was safe for athletes to swim in.
The Olympic Committee of Belgium also said that it would like to learn from the event and ensure that the training days and the format of the competition are not affected by the issue.
The men’s race was shifted to Wednesday from Tuesday, following the women’s competition, which had affected the swimmers’ ability to go into the river until the event.
A training session for the athletes was also canceled on Sunday.
The training session for the triathlon familiarization was supposed to begin at 8 am on August 4.
Due to the heavy rain that occurred from July 31 to August 1, the water quality in the venue has been affected.
Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics, noted that the organization is expecting the situation to improve in the next couple of hours.
However, the training sessions for the athletes were still not able to take place as scheduled on Sunday.