MTI wrote that the German Olympic Sports Federation reported that three German athletes fell ill after swimming in the Seine, but the organization did not name the participants.
The German announcement regarding their athletes includes, among other things, that two open water swimmers will undergo treatment on Friday for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. They were much better on Saturday morning, but a third swimmer with similar symptoms is still being treated by men's team doctors.
Bettina Fabian, who finished fifth in the women’s 10km on Thursday, also had similar symptoms and had to be taken to hospital on Saturday morning, but has since improved. The 19-year-old Hungarian reported on social media that he had been vomiting and had a fever overnight, and had likely swallowed something in the river, which led to him being treated with an infusion. Fabian noted that several of his competitors had similar problems, including Germany’s Leonie Beck, who was ninth at 10km.
There were doubts from the beginning about the possibility of organizing the competition, but the French organizers eventually considered the quality of the Seine's water acceptable.
The pollution of the river has been a prominent topic of conversation for several weeks, and due to the frequent filth of the water, it has been necessary to order the cancellation of training sessions and the relocation of competitions.
In the past, competitors from other countries, including athletes from Kazakhstan, Belgium and New Zealand, have complained of feeling sick and reporting gastrointestinal symptoms after swimming in the Seine. Meanwhile, representatives of the organizing committee and the Paris mayor's office have repeatedly stressed that the illnesses have nothing to do with the quality of the Seine's water.
