Belgium Pulls Out of Mixed Relay Triathlon

Belgium withdrew from the Olympic mixed relay triathlon at Paris 2024 after one of their athletes fell ill. Claire Michel, who finished 38th in the women’s triathlon, reportedly suffers from an E. coli infection, according to De Standaard, though BBC Sport has not confirmed this. The Seine’s water quality which had been a major concern throughout the Games, initially caused the problem. Poor water conditions delayed the men’s triathlon by a day and led to the postponement of the mixed relay practice swim for two consecutive days.

The mixed relay triathlon will proceed as planned on Monday morning, despite teams requesting a postponement for more preparation time. World Triathlon and Paris 2024 officials confirmed that recent tests show improvements in the Seine’s water quality, with future analysis indicating it will meet acceptable standards. Swiss athlete Adrien Briffod, who competed in the men’s race also withdrew from the mixed relay due to a stomach infection.

The Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB) decided not to participate after consulting their athletes and support staff but did not specify Claire Michel’s illness. Belgium hopes this situation will prompt improvements for future triathlon events. Organizers conducted daily water quality tests since the triathlon began. The Seine will also host Olympic marathon swimming and the Para-triathlon event at the Paralympics.

French authorities invested approximately 1.4 billion euros to clean the Seine, which had been off-limits for swimming for over a century due to pollution concerns.  Despite recent heavy rains affecting water quality, the men’s and women’s individual triathlons proceeded on schedule. Team GB will compete with Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sam Dickinson, and Beth Potter in the mixed relay. If the water quality remains subpar, they may reschedule the event to Tuesday.