One triathlete has blasted Olympic organizers after they claimed the polluted Seine was safe for athletes to swim.
Though test samples suggested bacteria in the water was “much lower” than before, many Olympians reported experiencing feeling unwell in the soul-sapping event that starts with a 1.5-km swim in the Seine River.
And Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen is slamming organizers, saying the “safety of athletes” isn’t a “priority” and that the “dirty” Seine “is bulls***.”
Athletes competing in some swimming events at the 2024 Paris Olympics were jumping into the Seine River, that during heavy rainfall collects discharge from the city sewer system.
And it rained a lot over the opening weekend.
In fact, until June, E.coli levels in the Seine were 10 times higher than levels considered acceptable by sports federations.
Attempting to clean up the river before the games started, French Olympic organizers reportedly spent about $1.5 billion cleaning up the Seine, and after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tried to ease fears by taking a dip.
“It’s sweet and wonderful and the result of a lot of work,” Hidalgo said in mid-July. “I remember at the very beginning in 2015 when we began our campaign for the Games, the international triathlon federation said why not a triathlon in the Seine? Will athletes be able to swim in the Seine? Today we can say they can.”
Watershed moment
But two weeks later, the water was a cesspool of germs.
Heavy rain over the prior weekend likely contributed to increased levels of bacteria, and the men’s triathlon had to be postponed over the water quality in the Seine, where the swimming portion of the race was supposed to take place.
The triathlon, a gruelling event that includes a 1.5-km swim in the Seine River, a 40-km bike ride and 10-km run to finish, was rescheduled from July 30 to July 31.
After testing, organizers deemed the levels of bacteria was “much lower” and gave the green light for both the women’s triathlon, which would be followed by the men.
‘Dirty for 100 years’
But some competitors were unimpressed by the conditions of the Seine.
Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen admitted she was aware of the risks involved with swimming the river in the first leg of the race but went for it anyway.
Taking in “a lot of water” during the race, the 30-year-old tells TV channel VTM (per Metro) that she “had the idea of not drinking water, but yes, it failed.”
“We’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not…It doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course.”
Vermeylen, who finished 24th in the women’s event, shares “While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much.”
“The Seine has been dirty for 100 years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That’s bulls***!”
Expressing her rage over the filthy water, she continues, “If the race hadn’t taken place, it would have been a disgrace for the organization, for Paris, for France. It was now or never, and they couldn’t cancel the race completely either. Now they just have to hope that there won’t be too many sick athletes.”
Projectile vomiting
About three hours later, the men jumped into the water to compete in the swimming portion of the triathlon.
After completing all three legs, a 29-year-old Canadian Olympian crossed the finish line and was seen on live TV, projectile vomiting.
Finishing ninth, Winnipeg’s Tyler Mislawchuk didn’t hold anything back.
“I didn’t come here to come top 10, but I gave it everything I had,” Mislawchuk said.
“I went for it, I have no regrets … vomited 10 times.”
Meanwhile, the online community is slamming organizers of the Olympics for allowing athletes to swim in polluted water.
‘Floaters’ in the river
Commenting on an Instagram photo shared by Vermeylen, one reader writes, “Blame the Olympic committee who should have taken this into better consideration before awarding Paris the right to host. Too many under the table payments cause officials to look the other way and put people’s health at risk instead!”
“Parts of the sewage system in Paris are hundreds of years old. To this day when toilets are flushed the contents go straight to the river. No treatment period,” shares another.
A third quips, “Heavy rain dumped ‘floaters’ from the waste systems. Think of it as an obstacle course.”
What do you think about the Olympics allowing athletes to swim in polluted waters? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we get the conversation started!
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