Posted on 08/05/2024 7:33:30 AM PDT by Red Badger
Belgium pulls out of event, and Switzerland replaces triathlon swimmer
Belgium's Olympic committee announced Sunday that it would withdraw its team from the mixed relay triathlon at the Paris Olympics after one of its competitors who swam in the Seine River fell ill. Claire Michel, who competed in the women's triathlon on Wednesday, "is unfortunately ill and will have to withdraw from the competition," the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee said in a statement. The mixed relay triathlon is scheduled to take place Monday, with the swim portion of the competition slated for the Seine as well, the AP reports. The statement did not elaborate on Michel's illness. There have been concerns about the quality of the water, but organizers gave it the all-clear on Wednesday.
In addition, Switzerland had to replace one of its triathlon competitors, per CNN. Simon Westermann will be substituted for Adrien Briffod, who has a gastrointestinal infection. The Swiss team's chief medical officer said it's unclear whether Briffod's illness is related to the Seine's water quality. A check of other teams "has so far not revealed any accumulation of gastrointestinal illnesses among the athletes who started the individual race last Wednesday," Hanspeter Betschart said.
Belgium's statement had sharp words for the organizers, per CNN. "The COIB and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games such as guaranteeing training days, competition days and the competition format, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes and support personnel," it said. Training sessions were canceled for two straight days last week after tests found the water to be unsafe for swimming.
Well despite the fact that NYC is loathsome...the rivers are actually safer to fall into than the Seine...I would worry about stuff that is in the muddy bottom of those rivers...old heavy metal pollutants and stuff like that.Yet the water itself won’t kill you if you had to make a swim of it as long as you weren’t chained up while wearing cement galoshes.
I would worry about stuff that is in the muddy bottom of those rivers...old heavy metal pollutants and stuff like that.
And a lot of bodies with cement shoes.
The whole thing has been a cluster from the opening and I for one am glad.
God will not be mocked. He is dealing with Paris. Contaminated river, heavy rains opening weekend, train system down, and power outages.
Haha...IN SEINE
Le Paris’ Revenge is one way of taking out the competition.
Le phew.
Wonder what a drop of that water looks like under a microscope. More living creatures than Tokyo.
I remember a scene from a crime novel in which the bad guys put a scuba tank on the victim and taped the regulator in his mouth before dropping him in the East River, so he’d have a while to think about it. Nasty.
The Mer de Merde.
What if they had the Olympics in India & they had part of the swim competition in the Ganges?
What if the Olympics were held in India & part of the swimming competition was in the Ganges?
So they built the rainwater collection basins for $1.5 billion euros first? and need another $1.5 billion euros for wastewater treatment facilities to be available for the next time there may be an Olympics in Paris. Priorities of politicians make citizens wonder why the elect who they do!
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