World Aquatics Cancels Seine Training Session; More Triathletes Register GI Illnesses

World Aquatics has cancelled a “familiarisation” session in the Seine scheduled for Tuesday morning, two days ahead of the scheduled kick off of open water swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Meanwhile, more participants in the Olympic triathlon have taken sick with E. coli after racing in the river.

The Seine training session for open water was scheduled to take place from 7:30 to 9:30 AM but was called off at the coordination meeting at 4:00 AM.

From World Aquatics:

Water quality readings have fluctuated throughout the last week. The water quality review showed E. coli levels ranged from 326 to 517 (considered “very good” to “good”) at the four collection points taken on 5 August between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m.

However, Enterococci levels exceeded World Aquatics maximum thresholds during the morning review. The latest Enterococci samples (taken between 12:30 and 13:20 on 4 August) showed levels exceeding the maximum acceptable World Aquatics thresholds.

Laboratory analysis of the Seine’s Enterococci levels for 5 August was available at 11:00 a.m. today. These most recent Enterococci results demonstrate an improvement in the Seine’s water quality, but one of the four tests still did not meet acceptable World Aquatics water quality standards.

A second familiarisation swimming session at the Pont Alexandre III competition venue is scheduled for 7 August from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. A water quality review session will be held at 4:00 a.m. on 7 August, where World Aquatics will decide whether the familiarisation session for 7 August can be held.

With a favourable weather forecast and forward-looking analysis, World Aquatics and Paris 2024 remain confident that the Marathon Swimming competitions on 8 and 9 August will proceed as planned.

Open water swimming has a backup venue at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, home to the Olympic sailing events. That may factor in to the ultimate go/no-go decision, as compared to triathlon, which didn’t have a backup plan for the swim portion.

Triathlon completed its three events, the men’s individual, women’s individual, and mixed relay races, already, swimming in the Seine for each. One country, Belgium, had to scratch the relay event after one of its athletes was hospitalized with an E. coli infection.

“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,” the Belgian Olympic Committee said in a statement.

At least three other triathletes have turned up sick as well. Switzerland had to replace Adrien Briffod after he turned up with a “gastrointestinal infection,” though the Swiss Olympic Chief Medical Officer Hanspeter Betschart said he could not verify that it was related to the river.

Now New Zealand’s men’s triathlon silver medalist Hayden Wilde and one other unnamed triathlete are being reported as having E. coli infections after the conclusion of the relay. Both participated in the relay, though a crash in by Wilde left them 14th.

In a statement, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games organizers said that the water quality in the Seine measured at a “very good” level on the morning of the individual triathlons.

“Paris 2024 wishes to remind everyone that the health and wellbeing of athletes is our top priority. With respect to competitions held in the Seine, water quality tests are carried out daily, and the decision on whether to proceed with an event is taken by the International Federation World Triathlon, in coordination with Paris 2024, and based on the results and a range of (notably health) criteria,” the statement read.