Belgium withdraws from mixed relay triathlon after athlete who swam in Seine River falls ill

PARIS -- Belgium's Olympic committee announced Sunday that it would retreat its squad from the mixed relay triathlon astatine the Paris Olympics aft 1 of its competitors who swam successful the Seine River fell ill.

Claire Michel, who competed successful the women's triathlon Wednesday, "is unluckily sick and volition person to retreat from the competition," the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee said successful a statement.

The mixed relay triathlon is scheduled to instrumentality spot Monday, with the aquatics information of the contention slated for the Seine arsenic well. The connection did not elaborate connected Michel's unwellness but it comes aft concerns implicit the river's h2o quality. Organizers had said that bacteria levels successful the stream were astatine a level that was considered harmless for the athletes.

The Belgian committee said it "hopes that lessons volition beryllium learned for aboriginal triathlon competitions astatine the Olympic Games. We are reasoning present of the warrant of grooming days, contention days and the contention format, which indispensable beryllium clarified successful beforehand and guarantee that determination is nary uncertainty for the athletes, entourage and supporters."

Belgium's Claire Michel (5) competes successful the aquatics limb of the women's idiosyncratic triathlon contention astatine the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, successful Paris, France.

AP Photo/David Goldman

Swiss officials said Saturday that triathlete Adrien Briffod, who besides competed successful the Seine connected Wednesday, fell sick with a tummy infection. But they said it was "impossible to say" whether it was linked to the aquatics and that the different delegations told them nary of their triathletes reported tummy problems.

The Swiss Olympic committee did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Sunday.