The Belgian Olympic Committee said the country’s mixed triathlon team withdrew from Monday’s mixed relay triathlon race after one of its athletes fell ill after swimming in a race down the Seine River last week.
“BOIC and Belgian Triathlon must unfortunately announce that the ‘Belgian Hammers’ will not compete in tomorrow’s mixed relay at the Paris Olympic Games. This decision, as well as this communication, was taken in consultation with the athletes and their representatives,” the Belgian Olympic Committee said. Sunday statement.
The Olympic committee said triathlete Claire Michel, 35, had fallen ill but did not provide details about her condition. Michel finished 38th in last Wednesday’s women’s individual triathlon, but the Olympic committee has not directly linked her illness to the race on the Seine.
The country’s Olympic Committee and the Belgian Triathlon Association said they “hopefully lessons can be learned for the next triathlon events at the Olympic Games.”
“What we have in mind here is guarantees of training dates, competition dates and competition formats, which must be made clear in advance so there is no uncertainty for athletes, their representatives and supporters,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Switzerland announced it would make changes to its mixed relay team for Monday after Adrian Briford was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal infection. The country’s Olympic team “I can’t say that,” he said. Whether Bifford’s infections are related to the water quality of the Seine.
Swiss team doctor Hanspeter Betschart said on Saturday that no athletes from other countries who took part in last week’s individual events had experienced stomach trouble.
Bifford was replaced by Simon Westermann, but the Swiss team said Sunday that he too had a gastrointestinal infection, although a team statement said he had not been tested at the Seine.
According to the team, 29-year-old Sylvain Friderans is expected to play in his place.
Concerns have been raised about pollution in the Seine ahead of the Paris Olympics, with tests just weeks before the start showing dangerously high bacteria levels.
Officials have invested $1.5 billion in infrastructure improvements to clean up the long-polluted river and have repeatedly insisted that the swimming portions of triathlons and marathon swimming events can be held safely in the river.
Heavy rains hit Paris just days before last Wednesday’s race, raising concerns again. Organizers said early Wednesday that the latest water tests showed it met quality standards and the race would go ahead as scheduled, The Associated Press reported.
