The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Being able to swim in the Seine without getting sick was meant to be one of the great legacies of the Paris Olympics.
France’s President Macron promised to swim in the river to prove its safety, although “not necessarily” before the games began. But while most of the athletes head home, two have been hospitalised after competing in events with open-water swimming.
Ireland’s 23-year-old Daniel Wiffen, who swam in Friday’s marathon event, had to drop out of carrying his country’s flag in Sunday’s closing ceremony because of a viral gastrointestinal infection.
Claire Michel, a 35-year-old Belgian triathlete, was hospitalised with an E. coli infection the day after her event. Three German, two Swiss and one Norwegian also fell ill after their events.
The Paris organising committee said it was “not aware of any established link” between the athletes getting sick and the Seine’s water quality.
Public health experts say testing water only for bacteria like E. coli means water-borne viruses are overlooked.
