Despite concerns raised over the River Seine's water quality, Belgian triathletes are heading to the French capital "confidently", as the team's coach believes the Parisian pollution to not be unique to these Games.
Belgian triathletes are set to arrive in Paris from Thursday for events scheduled for 30 and 31 July and 5 August. No specific measures have been implemented ahead of the athletes' first dive into the controversial River Seine, known for its questionable water quality.
"We have been seeing [poor water quality] more often lately, not just in Paris," Tine Deckers, the team's coach told Belga News Agency on Wednesday. According to Deckers, the state of the water quality depends on the rain and the location in the Seine. Similar concerns were raised in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
The Dutch Triathlon Federation has advised its members to take antibiotics for protection during the swimming events. However, for Team Belgium, Deckers stated that conventional preventative measures, such as taking probiotics, rest on the judgement of each athlete. The federation has not imposed any specific regulations in relation to this.
The team, comprising Marten Van Riel, Claire Michel, Jelle Geens and Jolien Vermeylen, will have the opportunity to train in the Seine once they are settled in the Olympic Village. "We have three to four days before the events kick off. Everyone is in good shape, as demonstrated by the last competition in Hamburg. We are heading to Paris confidently," added Deckers.
Some members of Team Belgium take pictures in front of the Olympic Rings in the Olympic Village in Paris. Credit: Belga / Joel Marklund
The Seine will also host the open water events on 8 and 9 August, and the paratriathlon events on 1 and 2 September. Despite an improvement in water quality results since late June, the bacterial pollution levels in the river remain uncertain.
The contingency plan includes postponing the events by a few days or cancelling the triathlon's swimming portion. A third option would involve moving the marathon swimming event to Vaires-sur-Marne in Seine-et-Marne.
Over the last two weeks, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim in the Seine to alleviate criticism.
