A significant chunk of Team USA has come down with food poisoning at the team’s pre-World Championship training camp in Thailand, multiple sources close to the team have confirmed to SwimSwam.
USA Swimming was unable to comment on matters related specifically to athlete health, but one coach with an athlete on the team confirmed another source who described it as “almost half” of the roster.
It is not uncommon for athletes to suffer gastrointestinal symptoms when travelling for meets and away from their normal eating habits and routines, especially when they’re in foreign countries with sometimes unfamiliar cuisine or eating in mass-feeding or catering situations. A google search for “SwimSwam food poisoning” reveals a decade of big stars being struck by stomach problems at big meets, and several athletes left the Olympic Village in Paris over concerns about the food, among other things.
The original source revealed that they thought the food poisoning could impact Team USA’s performance, though the coach SwimSwam spoke to downplayed the anticipated impact. Neither mentioned specific names of athletes impacted.
The swimming portion of the World Aquatics Championships begins Sunday, July 27 in Singapore. Team USA is camping in Phuket, Thailand, which is about a 2 hour flight from Singapore.
The team is scheduled to make the trip from Phuket to Singapore on Tuesday.
I just returned from my stay at Thanyapura and was thrilled to see the U.S. swimmer team staying there at the same time. It was such an inspiring experience to witness not only the athletes but also their entire support team coaches, physios, and staff working so hard every single day. I saw the physiotherapists standing poolside for hours, fully dedicated to the team. My heart truly goes out to all of them, and I wish everyone a speedy recovery.
That’s why I was surprised to hear the news about food poisoning. My colleague and I dined at the same restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. we didn’t experience any issues at all. The resort has two restaurants, and I’ve… Read more »
Food poisoning? Pfffft, please. Stick a suppository in it and stop whining. In 2018, American cycling Lawson Craddock crashed on the first stage of the Tour de France, fracturing his shoulder blade and sustaining facial injuries. Craddock finished the race, which included 20 stages and covered 2,082 miles. He was last in every stage, yet he never stopped peddling.
Then there was that time JoeB typed 59 words of internet athlete diatribe while safely seated with his computer or mobile device. Truly inspiring!
I think this will turn out to be a nothing burger.
Yeah, I doubt that’s what got them sick.
that didn’t age well
If there was nothing in the burger they probably wouldn’t have gotten sick.
We will know in a few days
I’ve been there several times, awesome facility but for Worlds staging camp, I don’t agree with the choice…it’s storm season.
Spot on.
It looked cloudy and rainy in all the media from the camp…
This right here. Choices still being made the same
Would like to remind everyone that what you post on instagram is not necessarily reflective of what is going on in real life, especially if you’re an elite athlete/public figure…people don’t take pics and immediately upload them, you could be in a hospital bed posting beach selfies from days before
Most pro swimmers have a financial incentive to maintain a social media presence. Pics of you hunched over the potty might draw views, but not a lot of likes
Why risk everything in these ridiculous places at the time that things matter most?
Stop taking the team to insane places. The training camp occurs in the USA, then proceed to travel to whatever destination the World Championships is at. If you want a vacation, take that after everything that matters is over.
I think they go to the time zone where the competition is (or at least a close time zone) to get everyone acclimated beforehand so there aren’t any jet lag issues at Worlds.
Yes. They go to camp to contain the environment and congeal as a unit which is a very real thing once you’ve experienced the power of collective within a mostly individual sport.
Better to get food poisoning now than next week?
Well, hoping it doesn’t happen, but lightening can strike twice. It’s not like the first bout creates immunity.
Thailand 2025 seemed saner than the US to me.
Have you tried to do some everyday task while jet lagged? Worse yet, have you ever arrived at a destination with completely different climate and temperature than you are used to, jet lagged and exhausted, while try to be at the top of your game?
If it is food poisoning, that’s going to be a miserable flight. If that many people have food poisoning, there ain’t enough bathrooms on that plane. 😱
Hope everyone recovers quickly!