The Olympic triathlon mixed relay will take place in Paris on Monday, but without Belgium, which withdrew citing an illness of athlete Claire Michel amid reports that she was a case of E. coli.
The health of athletes competing in triathlon events at these Games has been a hot topic following concerns over the water quality of the River Seine.
Olympic organisers cancelled familiarisation swimming sessions over the weekend because water quality levels had again fallen below required standards following heavy rain.
But on Sunday evening it was announced that the mixed relay would take place as scheduled on Monday morning.
A statement read: “Following requests from triathlon teams to give athletes more time to prepare for the upcoming Mixed Relay competition, a meeting to review the water quality results was held today 4 August at 19:00 CET, with representatives from World Triathlon, Paris 2024, the International Olympic Committee, Météo France, DRIEAT, the City of Paris and the Prefecture of the Île-de-France Region involved in carrying out the water quality testing. During this meeting, World Triathlon took the decision to go ahead with the Mixed Relay competition, scheduled for Monday 5 August at 8:00 CET.
The mixed Olympic triathlon relay will take place on Monday in Paris, but without Belgium
Claire Michel from Belgium is currently in hospital amid reports that she is suffering from an E. coli infection.
“The latest test results confirm that the water quality of the Seine at the triathlon site has improved in recent hours and prospective analyses indicate that the water quality will be within acceptable levels for World Triathlon. As a result, World Triathlon has taken the decision this afternoon to go ahead with the competition.”
The men’s triathlon was postponed a day earlier in the week to Wednesday and took place on the same day as the women’s event.
Michel finished 38th in the women’s race on Wednesday.
A joint statement from the Belgian Olympic Committee (IOC) and Belgium Triathlon announced their withdrawal from the mixed relay.
He said: ‘The decision, like this communication, was taken in consultation with the athletes and their entourage.
‘Claire Michel, a member of the relay team, is unfortunately ill and must withdraw from the competition.’
Belgian media reported that Michel had contracted E. coli.
The team’s statement did not confirm this, but added: ‘The IOC and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for the next triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games.
World Triathlon said tests showed the quality of the Seine water has improved
Switzerland had to make a change to their lineup after Adrien Briffod also fell ill
Games organizers neither confirmed nor denied the E. coli reports, but said the 35-year-old man has not been hospitalized.
‘We are thinking here about guaranteeing training days, competition days and the format of the competitions, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes, the environment and the fans.’
“Paris 2024 wishes the athlete involved a speedy recovery and will seek regular updates on his health,” a spokesperson said. “Paris 2024 wishes to remind everyone that the health and wellbeing of athletes is our top priority.”
Meanwhile, Switzerland made one change to their lineup after Adrien Briffod also fell ill, with Simon Westermann taking his place.
“I don’t really know if my illness is linked to the quality of the water in the Seine,” Briffod told Le Matin.
Heavy rains hit Paris on Wednesday and Thursday, causing bacteria levels in the water to rise.
Before the men’s and women’s events on Wednesday, athletes had not been able to train in the river because the water quality had not passed the required tests.
All British athletes are known to have avoided any ill effects from swimming in the water, but all nations have faced disruptions to their preparations.
Great Britain won gold in the opening Olympic mixed relay in Tokyo and will be among the favourites to secure another medal.
In Wednesday’s triathlons, Britain’s Alex Yee won a gold medal in the men’s race and Beth Potter won bronze in the women’s competition.
Yee and Potter will compete alongside Georgia Taylor-Brown and Sam Dickinson.
