Iran Press/Europe: "The Belgian Hammers will not start in the Mixed Relay competition at the Paris Games," the Belgian team said in a release. "Michel, one of the athletes in the mixed relay team, unfortunately, has to withdraw from the competition due to illness."
While the Olympic team did not describe Michel's illness nor blame the Seine, Belgium newspaper De Standaard reported that the triathlete was hospitalized and treated for an E. coli infection Sunday. The bacteria can cause serious intestinal and medical issues.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Olympic organizers canceled a planned practice swim for triathletes after poor water quality test results. In a release obtained by NPR, organizers said "heavy rains" on Wednesday and Thursday led to the practice-swim cancellation. Heavy rains can overwhelm the city’s antiquated sewer system, leaking untreated sewage into the Seine River — increasing rates of E. coli bacteria.
In the years leading up to the Paris Olympic games, France spent more than $1 billion to clean the Seine river, which had been illegal to swim in for more than a century. It has long been considered too contaminated for human use. On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo jumped into its murky waters and declared, "we did it!"
Olympic triathletes — including Michel — last competed in the Seine on Wednesday. As it stands, Olympians are set to swim in the Seine on Monday for the mixed competition triathlon, without the Belgian team. Daily river testing will continue ahead of the Monday triathlon and the marathon swimming races scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
"Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions," the Belgian team release 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 cause uncertainty among athletes, entourage and fans."
Here are some of the difficulties facing the 2024 Paris Olympics:
- Pollution and contamination of the River Seine, which is set to host swimming, triathlon and marathon events, due to high levels of E. coli bacteria
- Controversy over the construction of a new aluminum judges' tower for surfing events in Tahiti, which locals and environmentalists say will damage the local coral reef
- Hung parliament in France following snap elections, creating a turbulent political environment as the Games approach
58% of the French population is against hosting the Olympics
- Lack of air conditioning units in the Olympic Village, leading some countries to bring their own
Concerns about the future use and affordability of the Olympic Village after the Games in the poorest region of mainland France
- Security concerns around the open-air opening ceremony along the Seine due to the risk of terrorism
- Potential for protests and unrest to cause disruptions, with the French government reducing public tickets and deploying thousands of security forces
- Underprepared public transportation system that is already overcrowded and poorly maintained
- Only one of four proposed new metro connections to the Olympic Village has been completed
- Efforts by authorities to transfer homeless people living on the streets of Paris to other cities ahead of the Olympics
- Controversy over banning traditional booksellers (bouquinistes) from the banks of the Seine
- Debate over the wearing of religious symbols like the hijab by athletes
- Potential for reputational damage to companies linked to Russia or Belarus due to the presence of their athletes
- Overall, while excitement builds for the Paris Olympics, the host city faces a range of political, environmental, infrastructure, and social challenges that could impact the success of the Games. Effective planning and mitigation will be crucial in the final months leading up to the event.
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