The Seine River, the iconic Paris waterway, has become the center of controversy at the 2024 Olympics.
Several athletes competing in water sports have fallen ill after swimming in the river, raising questions about its cleanliness and safety.
Seine La Vie
The Seine River has long been a symbol of the city’s beauty and charm. So it makes sense that the Olympic committee would want to host triathlons in one of Paris’ most iconic sights.
The problem? For the past 100 years, the Seine has been unswimmable.
Sewer Connection
Cleaning the Seine has proved to be an uphill battle. Partly due to the centuries-old sewage system that connects to the river. Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923 due to the dangerous levels of E coli.
Yet, the Paris Deputy Mayor stated that there’s “no plan B” for any of the swimming events. The show must go on.
Jeopardizing Athletes’ Health
A significant number of athletes have reported feeling ill after coming into contact with the Seine River. They claim to suffer from nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and skin rashes, all of which are symptoms of E. coli
The insistence on using the Seine River, despite health risks, has drawn controversy, with many claiming that the Olympic Committee is endangering athletes. Others are asking why no backup plan was created.
Olympic Cleanup Efforts
Expensive efforts were made to clean up the Seine River in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Over 1.5 billion USD has gone towards improving water quality.
Despite these measures, the river’s contamination levels remained dangerously high.
Practicing What They Preach
To prove that the Seine was safe enough for the athletes, several French politicians pledged that they would swim in the river.
Though President Macron promised he would take the plunge, Paris’s Mayor is the only politician who actually followed through. So far, she’s reported no river-borne illness.
The Seine Poop Protests
Yes, you read that right. Frustrated with failed cleanup efforts, #IPooInTheSeine went viral. What started as a joke quickly grew into something far more disgusting as hundreds of Parisians threatened to defecate in the Seine.
There was even a website that calculated the exact time to drop a deuce so it would hit the swimming French politicians.
People Actually Swam in it?
After several delays, the Olympics finally held several water sports events in the Seine, beginning with the triathlon. Canadian racer Tyler Mislawchuk was notably affected, vomiting several times after crossing the finish line.
Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen mentioned that she drank a significant amount of water during the swim. She criticized the Olympics for putting athletes in danger: “While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much. The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority.”
Microdosing E. Coli?
Some athletes prepared for the potentially dangerous swim by taking probiotics. Seth Rider, an American swimmer, took a more unique approach.
He told the NY Times his plan was “to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E. coli in your day-to-day life. … Just little things throughout the day, like not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom and stuff like this.”
Belgium Withdraws From Triathlon
Belgium withdrew from the mixed relay triathlon after one athlete, Claire Michel, was hospitalized, just days after swimming in the Seine.
While the statement the Belgian Olympic Committee didn’t specifically name Michel’s illness, that hasn’t stopped many online from speculating.
How Many Olympians Are Sick?
Now that the Olympics are all said and done, we have a final tally of athletes who became ill after taking a dip in the Seine.
It has been confirmed that three Germans, two Portuguese, one Belgian, and one Swiss athlete were hospitalized after swimming in the Seine, most suffering from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Several others reported feeling unwell.
Was it Worth It?
The Paris Olympics organizing committee stated, “Water quality on the day of the marathon was considered ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ across all four testing points and well within the thresholds established by World Aquatics.”
We will likely never know for certain that the Seine was directly responsible for these athlete’s illnesses. After all, dozens of other Olympians swam in the river and faced no health complications. In the meantime, we wish the athletes a swift recovery and hope the event’s scenic venue was worth it.
