After months of long debate on the testing of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in it Seine riverthis Sunday the first controversy broke out after the first triathlon tests were carried out: a Belgian athlete had to be hospitalized, contaminated with the bacteria Escherichia coli after participating in the test.
He Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB) announced that Claire Michel will not be able to participate in the mixed race that will take place on Monday, after finishing 38th in the women’s race. The bacteria with which she was infected is known to cause serious stomach and intestinal problems, including diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis, which can have serious health consequences.
In addition, through a strong joint statement with Belgian Triathlon they asked “that it be draw lessons for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games.”
In this regard, both organizations claimed “guarantees on training days, competition days and the format of the competitions” in advance to avoid the “uncertainty for athletes, their entourage and fans.”
The men’s event was postponed for 24 hours, as well as several training sessions, due to the water quality of the Sena was not yet suitable for athletes to swim there.
In light of this, the organisers of Paris-2024 will have to decide what to do with the development of the mixed event scheduled for this Monday, based on the water analyses.
In August 2023, the triathlon trials were already partially cancelled due to the water quality being insufficient for European standards with regard to two faecal bacteria: “Escherichia coli” and enterococci.
Controversy in France over the decontamination of the Seine River
In addition to the triathlon, the swimming marathon will also be held on the Seine and will be some of the milestones that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games want to leave for history, along with the legacy of allowing bathing in the river again after a century of prohibition.
“We have achieved in four years something that was impossible for 100 years: you can swim in the Seine,” a “fabulous legacy” for local residents and “biodiversity,” the French president said on social network X. Emmanuel Macron, the day of the triathlon event.
The authorities invested more than 1.4 billion euros ($1.52 billion at current exchange rates) to create a series of infrastructure projects to reduce pollution in the Seine and its tributary, the Marne, and thus allow bathing.
These sanctification works were the subject of strong criticism of the president, as the French claimed that too much money was being invested only to carry out a few Olympic events.
Source: Ambito
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