PARIS– Three days after the men’s triathlon at Paris Olympicsthe Swiss national team said on Saturday that one of its athletes has a stomach infection and will not compete in the mixed relay.
It was “impossible to say” whether Adrien Briffod’s gastrointestinal infection is linked to water quality in the River Seinethe Swiss Olympic team said in a statement.
No other cases of Olympic triathletes experiencing stomach problems have been found among other countries taking part in the individual races, Swiss team doctor Hanspeter Betschart said.
The health risks of sending triathletes and marathon swimmers into the long-polluted Seine after a US$1.5 billion project Cleaning the water was among the biggest problems for Olympic organizers – and it may yet be the games’ best legacy for the city of Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron had promised to swim in the Seine to show that it is safe and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, entered the water a week before the opening of the Olympics.
Poor quality water following heavy rain has postponed Tuesday morning’s scheduled race in the men’s triathlon for more than 24 hours. It started immediately after Wednesday’s women’s race.
Briffod spent 21 and a half minutes on the Seine completing the 1.5 kilometer (0.93 mi) swimming section to open the race finishing in 49th place. He turned 30 on Friday in Paris.
Julie Derron, the women’s silver medalistis in the Swiss squad for the mixed relay on Monday, with Cathia Schär, Max Studer and, in Briffod’s place, Simon Westermann.
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