"Swedish Athlete Withdraws After Swimming in the Seine and Falling Ill [Paris Olympics]"

Victor Johansson Withdraws from 10km Marathon Swim
Belgian Triathlon Team Also Withdraws the Day Before the Race

A Swedish athlete who was scheduled to compete in the marathon swimming event at the Paris Olympics held on the Seine River withdrew due to water quality deterioration.

On the 9th (Korean time), US Fox Sports reported that Swedish national swimming representative Viktor Johansson declared he would not participate in the men's 10 km marathon swimming event starting at 2:30 PM that day and did not compete. In an interview with his home media, Johansson explained his reason for withdrawal, saying, "I withdrew because I felt sick after swimming in the Seine River."

On the 9th (local time), male athletes representing various countries participating in the men's 10km marathon swimming at the Paris Olympics simultaneously jumped into the river from the starting line at the Pont Alexandre III on the Seine River.
[Photo by EPA]

For the Paris Olympics, the French government invested over 2 trillion won to improve the water quality of the Seine River, but controversies over the river's water quality continue. Scheduled training sessions and competitions have been canceled or postponed due to water quality deterioration, and there have been instances of athletes vomiting severely after competing in the Seine. Johansson stated, "I have received various information as well," and claimed, "What is certain is that there are people who got sick (after swimming in the Seine)." He also said, "Considering all recommendations and risks, I felt that withdrawing was the best decision," and added, "I decided not to swim in the Seine."

Before Johansson's withdrawal, several athletes reportedly experienced deteriorated health after triathlon events held in the Seine River. On the 4th, the Belgian mixed relay triathlon team withdrew a day before the race held in the Seine. On that day, the Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB) announced that Claire Michel, a member of the mixed relay team, "unfortunately had to withdraw due to illness." Michel participated in the women's individual triathlon event on the 31st of last month, swimming 1.5 km, cycling 40 km, and running 10 km. Although COIB did not disclose Michel's exact condition, foreign media reported that it was related to ongoing concerns about the Seine River's water quality.

The competition suitability standards set by the World Triathlon Federation in 2006 specify that Escherichia coli should be below 1,000 per 100 mL and enterococci below 400 per 100 mL. Swimming in water exceeding these levels can cause gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, otitis externa, and skin diseases. Therefore, the Paris Olympic organizing committee has been checking the bacterial levels in the Seine daily. On the 26th and 27th of last month, heavy rain worsened the water quality, leading the organizing committee to cancel swimming training scheduled for the 28th and 29th, and the men's event originally planned for the 30th was postponed by one day on the day of the competition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.