Swedish long-distance swimmer Victor Johansson withdrew from Friday’s 10 km Olympic race in the Seine River in Paris.
He explained his non-participation by concerns about polluted water and fear for his health. He told the daily Dagens Nyheter that the information that some athletes fell ill after the triathlon race, during which they also swam in the river that runs through Paris. However, he did not name anyone.
Swedish media reported that triathlete Tilda Mansson had health and stomach problems a few days after the race. However, the team did not confirm the link with swimming in the polluted river. A similar case also appeared in the Belgian team.
“There is a lot of information about it, but what we know for sure is that people have gotten sick here. So even though the concentration (of E.coli bacteria) has decreased, it seems that it is not good to start,” the newspaper quoted the 25-year-old Johansson as saying.
“The triathletes were in the water for about 20 minutes, and even though it was that short, some got sick. We will be in that water for two hours,” added the European junior champion at 800 meters. He estimated that he can swallow up to half a liter of water during a long-distance race.
He consulted his decision with the medical team of the Swedish expedition and its member Lykke Tamm supported him. “After careful consideration of all the circumstances in relation to Victor, my recommendation is that he not swim in the Seine under the current conditions. Health is most important,” said Tamm.
The level of water pollution in the Seine has long been a topic of concern at the Paris Games, even though the organizers have invested 1.4 billion euros in improving the situation. Last week, the triathletes’ swim practice was canceled and the men’s race was postponed due to high bacteria levels after the rains.
Wednesday’s water quality check showed an improvement, and according to the organizers of the Games and the international swimming federation World Aquatics, the concentration of bacteria did not exceed the permitted limit. The distance swimmers were therefore able to complete familiarization training and the women’s race took place on Thursday.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
