Second Olympian falls ill after swimming in Seine River in triathlon competition

Another Olympian has fallen sick after swimming in the Seine River, where concerns over the cleanliness of the water have plagued the Olympic Games since they began.

According to a report from 7 News, Swiss triathlete Adrien Briffod withdrew from the mixed team relay on Monday after suffering a stomach infection. Of note, Swiss officials said it was “impossible to say” if the illness was related to previous swimming in the Seine River.

Briffod was the second competitor to pull out from the mixed team relay triathlon, following the likes of Belgium’s Claire Michel.

Michel grew ill after competing in the women’s triathlon on Wednesday, following a 38th-place finish in the event. Belgium was forced to withdraw its entry into the mixed-team relay because it did not have a designated female backup for Michel.

On the other hand, Switzerland did have a backup and was still able to compete in the mixed-team relay event.

Switzerland finished seventh in the event on Monday, clocking a time of 1:27:16.

But the illnesses have overshadowed the events, thanks to concerns over the Seine River that were present from the very onset of competition.

Already the men’s triathlon at the Olympics was delayed due to poor conditions in the Seine River, while multiple training sessions were also been scrapped.

Exacerbating the issues to get the Seine River up to snuff was the weather. Days of heavy rain made it more difficult to lower the bacteria levels from the Seine River.

Still, according to Reuters, event organizers defended the quality of the water in a statement to the press.

“Paris 2024 wishes to remind everyone that the health and wellbeing of athletes is our top priority,” the statement read. “Water samples… on the morning of the individual triathlon events showed the quality to be at a level considered ‘very good’ by World Triathlon’s criteria, according to results analysed and released the following day.”