Olympic athlete falls ill after swimming in River Seine forcing her to drop out of games
An Olympic swimmer has been forced to pull out of the mixed relay triathlon after falling ill, with many suspecting the water quality of the River Seine is to blame.
The River Seine has been the subject of much contention during the Games, with many people worried about the water quality, which they feared may contain dangerous levels of E. coli.
The French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra even plunged herself into the river 13 days before the games began, in a bid to prove that it is safe - though many people didn't seem to buy it on social media.
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Despite Olympics organisers stating that around €1.4 billion (£1.2bn) had been spent on a regeneration project in order to ensure the Seine is safe - there have been issues because of the river that have affected the Games, with the men's triathlon being delayed by a day.
Beyond this, on Sunday (4 August), the practice swim for the mixed relay was postponed for a further day.
More controversy has potentially followed with Belgium's team pulling out of the mixed relay triathlon due to the illness of one of their athletes, Claire Michel.
Despite prior reports, a source from the Belgian team has informed BBC Sport that the 35-year-old athlete has not contracted E. coli.
They went on to add that they were unable to definitively link Michel's ailments to the Seine, where the swimming legs have been held.
The Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB) have confirmed that although Michel did attend the polyclinic within the Olympic village, she had not been admitted to hospital.
The illness she has been suffering from has not been confirmed, though the COIB added that the decision not to partake in the games had been made 'in consultation with the athletes and the entourage'.
World Triathlon and Paris 2024 gave the following joint statement: "The latest test results confirm that Seine water-quality levels at the triathlon venue have improved in recent hours, with forward-looking analysis indicating that water quality will be within the levels acceptable by World Triathlon."
Alongside this, the Swiss team said on Saturday (3 August) that Adrien Briffod - one of their athletes, who had taken part in the men's race - had contracted a stomach infection and as a result, would not be competing in the mixed relay.
Swimming in the Seine had been banned for over 100 years due to high levels of pollution and a risk of disease, but the French authorities had made huge investments in order to ensure the river was swimmable for the Olympics.
Kya Buller