Seine River pollution back in the limelight as Paris Olympics triathlete vomits 10 times

Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk has given it his all in the Paris 2024 Olympics. He has been making headlines, but not for reasons he prefers. The athlete has gone viral for vomiting 10 times after finishing his competition in the Seine River on July 31.

Speaking about factors responsible for his upset stomach, Tyler told CBC the day after the men’s triathlon that he had taken in a lot of water during the race. “My stomach was just extremely full, and so that ended up being a limiting factor for me in the race.”

It’s not surprising that Seine’s condition is being questioned

“You put that with one hour, 40 minutes of going as hard as you can, stuff’s going to happen,” the 29-year-old noted. He placed ninth in the competition but didn’t expect his post-race moment to grab the spotlight.

The atmospheric conditions at the time should also be taken into consideration. Being from Canada, a country that often sees sub-zero temperatures, Tyler is not quite acclimated to France’s Summer. But that didn’t stop the athlete from giving it his all.

It is not surprising that the Seine River’s condition is being questioned again. Initially planned for July 30, the men’s triathlon event had to be postponed to the next day due to unsafe levels of fecal matter after a period of heavy rain.

Belgium’s Jolien Vermeylen, a participant in the women’s triathlete race, said: “I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much … The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority.”

Officials taking dips in polluted Seine to prove its safety

Paris 2024 Olympics has been marred by numerous controversies since the beginning. Even before the sporting event commenced, Parisians had been planning a ‘I poop in the Seine on June 23’ protest. France has spent $1.5 billion to clean up the river.

In order to soothe critics concerns, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, Paris 2024 Olympic President Tony Estanguet and other officials have taken dips in the polluted river to prove its safety.