Belgium pull out of mixed relay after triathlete falls ill ‘with E.coli’

Belgium have withdrawn from Monday’s mixed relay triathlon at the Paris Olympics citing an illness for athlete Claire Michel amid reports it is a case of E. coli.

The health of athletes competing in the triathlon events at these Games has been a hot topic following concerns over the water quality of the River Seine.

On Sunday Olympic organisers cancelled the swim familiarisation session for Monday’s race as the water quality levels had dropped back below the required standards following heavy rain.

The men’s triathlon was postponed by one day earlier in the week to Wednesday and took place on the same day as the women’s event.

Michel finished 38th in the women’s race on Wednesday.

It is not yet certain that Monday’s event will take place as scheduled.

A joint statement from the Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB) and Belgium Triathlon announced their withdrawal from the mixed relay.

It said: “The decision, like this communication, was taken in consultation with the athletes and the entourage.

“Claire Michel, a member of the relay, is unfortunately ill and has to withdraw from the competition.”

Belgian media reported that Michel has contracted E. coli.

The team statement did not confirm that, but notably added: “The COIB and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for the next triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games.

“We are thinking here of the guarantee of training days, competition days and the format of the competitions which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes, the entourage and the supporters.”

Meanwhile, Switzerland have made a change to their line-up after Adrien Briffod also fell ill, with Simon Westermann taking his place.

“I don’t really know if my condition is linked to the quality of the water in the Seine,” Briffod told Le Matin.

Heavy rain hit Paris on Wednesday and Thursday, causing levels of bacteria in the water to rise.

Prior to the men’s and women’s events taking place on Wednesday, athletes had been unable to train in the river because the water quality had not passed the required tests.

Britain’s athletes are all understood to have avoided any ill effects from swimming in the water but all nations have faced disruption to their preparations.

Organisers issued a statement on Sunday morning which said: “(The) decision has been made to cancel the swim leg of the triathlon familiarisation, which was due to be held on August 4 at 8am (7am BST).

“Given the heavy rain over the nights of July 31 and August 1, which had been particularly intense upstream of Paris, we still see impact on the water quality in our venue.

“We are expecting an improvement on the conditions in the next hours, but not to a level to which the swim familiarisation planned for (Sunday) can take place.”

Speaking at Sunday morning’s IOC briefing, Paris 2024 director of communications Anne Descamps added: “We are expecting improvement regarding the weather forecast. As we’ve seen the sun and the heat have a very positive impact.

“Hopefully we can organise the competition tomorrow. We’ll take the decision as planned tomorrow morning regarding the latest samples.”

Britain won gold in the inaugural Olympic mixed relay in Tokyo and will be among the favourites to secure another medal.

In Wednesday’s triathlons, Great Britain’s Alex Yee won a gold medal in the men’s race and Beth Potter won bronze in the women’s competition.