The Belgian Olympic Committee announced on Sunday (4) that the country’s team will not participate in the mixed triathlon event at the Paris Games, scheduled for next Monday (5). According to the committee, the withdrawal occurred after Claire Michel, one of the team’s athletes, fell ill.
The note does not provide further details about the case, but a report published by the Belgian newspaper “La Libre” states that Claire was hospitalized with intestinal and stomach problems. The triathlete was reportedly contaminated with the E.coli bacteria after competing in the triathlon last Tuesday (30). The swimming section of the event was held in the waters of the Seine River. The day before (29), the men’s triathlon had been postponed due to the high concentration of pollution in the river that runs through the French capital.
The Belgian committee also said in the statement that it hopes that lessons from the Paris tournament will be learned for future competitions. “We are thinking about training days that can be guaranteed, competition days and formats that are clear in advance, and circumstances that do not create uncertainty among athletes, the team and fans,” reads an excerpt from the note. Neither the Paris 2024 organizing committee nor World Triathlon (the sport’s international federation) have commented on the case. For now, the mixed triathlon competition is still confirmed for next Monday, starting at 3 am (Brasília time).
News about Claire Michel’s health and the Belgian team’s withdrawal from the competition came to light on the day that yet another swimming training session for the mixed triathlon was cancelled. The cause was once again the pollution levels in the Seine. The same thing had happened last Saturday (3) and also last week, before the individual events of the sport.
The condition of the Seine River has become one of the main sources of concern for French authorities ahead of the Olympic Games. Around 1.4 billion euros (the equivalent of more than R$8.5 billion) have been invested in a system to reduce contamination of the river. During the opening week of the Games, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, dove into the river to prove that it was in good condition. However, after heavy rains in the city, the poor quality of the water forced the cancellation of training sessions and the postponement of the men’s trial event. In addition to this event, open water swimming competitions are also scheduled to be held on the Seine River.
