'Athletes Are Not to Blame' Triathlon Held in Sewage-Contaminated Seine River... Participants Show Abnormal Symptoms [Paris Olympics]

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Despite pouring trillions of won into the effort, concerns ultimately became reality. The Seine River water quality issue, which emerged as the biggest challenge of the 2024 Paris Olympics, did not stop the organizers from proceeding with the triathlon event. After the competition, athletes showed abnormal symptoms, bringing the issue back into the spotlight.

Tyler Mislochuuk of Canada vomited ten times after crossing the finish line. This scene was broadcasted and photographed, being shown to the world through live cameras and photos.
[Photo by 75 seconds SNS, French media]

On July 31 (local time), the Paris Olympic Committee held the triathlon event as scheduled. Among the three disciplines?cycling (40km), marathon (10km), and swimming (1.5km)?the swimming took place in the Seine River.

The committee stated that the pollution levels in the Seine River where the swimming was held met the standards. Thus, the condition of the Seine attracted more attention. The international community was perplexed by France’s announcement to hold Olympic swimming events in a place where swimming has been banned for the past 100 years due to pollution issues. Countries around the world expressed concerns about the athletes’ condition after the event.

The competition suitability standards set by the World Triathlon Federation in 2006 specify that E. coli must be below 1,000 per 100mL and enterococci below 400 per 100mL. Swimming in water exceeding these levels can cause gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, otitis externa, and skin diseases.

The same problem occurred three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics. After the men's triathlon event held at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan, many athletes were seen collapsing or vomiting, with the water quality and odor issues of Odaiba Sea being pointed out as the cause.

The image of Norwegian athlete Kristian Blummenfelt, who won the event, sitting down and vomiting immediately after crossing the finish line was broadcasted, giving an idea of the actual water quality in Odaiba.

The Olympic triathlon held on the Seine River in Paris, France, on the 31st of last month (local time).
[Photo by AFP, Paris]

Paris invested 1.5 billion euros (approximately 2.2412 trillion won) in Seine River purification projects starting from 2015 ahead of the Olympics. The city focused its efforts on sewage treatment facilities and other projects to realize the dream of Seine River swimming for Parisians.

However, it was a challenging task to improve pollution accumulated over 100 years within just 10 years. Moreover, just before the event, the Seine’s water quality deteriorated due to inflow of domestic wastewater caused by consecutive rains, leading to the cancellation of training for two days. This was because bacterial concentrations such as E. coli exceeded the standards.

Nevertheless, the committee pushed ahead with the event, and the feared results began to appear. Many athletes suffered after the triathlon event.

Canada’s Tyler Mislowchuk vomited ten times after crossing the finish line. This was widely broadcasted worldwide through live cameras and photos.

Spanish athlete Miriam Casiyas criticized in an interview with her country’s media outlet Marca, saying, "The organizers prioritized the image of the Seine as the venue and showed no consideration for the athletes." Also a doctor, Casiyas pointed out, "If the health of the participants was considered, there would have been a Plan B instead of the Seine."

The Olympic triathlon held on the Seine River in Paris, France, on the 31st of last month (local time).
[Photo by AP, Paris]

U.S. team member Seth Rider joked bitterly about the Seine’s water quality, saying, "After arriving in Paris, I deliberately did not wash my hands. To get used to E. coli, I don’t wash my hands even after using the restroom." Perhaps due to lack of adaptation, Rider finished 29th with a time of 1 hour 47 minutes 53 seconds.

Initially, the Olympic Committee announced that if the Seine’s water quality failed to meet standards, the triathlon would be held as a duathlon without swimming on the 3rd. However, they proceeded with the triathlon, claiming the water quality met standards, and have since faced criticism from participating athletes.

The problem remains going forward. Marathon swimming is the main event. On the 8th, a marathon swim of a full 10 km will be held in the Seine. If the water quality does not improve dramatically by then, changing the venue could be the best choice for the athletes’ health and the proper conduct of the competition.

The Olympic Committee announced that depending on the Seine’s water quality, the marathon swimming venue could be changed to the canoeing stadium.