Three German swimmers fell ill after participating in the open water races at the Paris Olympics, raising questions about the Seine River’s water quality. Although concerns about the long-polluted Seine had been prevalent, it remains unclear whether the river was directly responsible for their sickness.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation issued a statement on Saturday without identifying the swimmers; however, Leonie Beck revealed her condition on social media. All three swimmers have since recovered and are expected to return home as scheduled.
Beck, who finished ninth in the 10-kilometer event, posted a picture on Instagram showing her giving a thumbs up but looking visibly ill. Accompanying the image, she wrote, “Vomited 9 times yesterday + diarrhea,” sarcastically adding, “Water quality in the Seine is approved,” with a check mark.
According to the German committee’s statement, “Two female German open water swimmers were treated as outpatients (Friday) for nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. They have been feeling much better since this morning.” The statement added that “another swimmer with similar symptoms is currently being treated by the German team doctors.”
The other German competitor in the women’s open water race was Leonie Maertens, who placed 22nd in the 24-woman field. Germany also had two competitors in the men’s event: silver medalist Oliver Klemet and eighth-place finisher Florian Wellbrock. It was not disclosed which one was undergoing treatment.
Paris organizers and World Aquatics, the governing body for open water swimming, released water quality tests showing that the water was well within acceptable safe limits. There was also a contingency plan to relocate the marathon swimming event to the Olympic rowing and canoeing basin if the tests had shown high levels of E. coli or other harmful bacteria.
The announcement by Paris organizers that the open water and triathlon swimming portions would be held in the Seine brought concerns to the forefront, given the river’s history of bacteria-laden waters that had led to a century-long swimming ban.
Despite a massive and costly cleanup effort, some readings still showed unacceptable levels of sickness-causing bacteria, resulting in changes to the triathlon schedule and the cancellation of one of two open water practice sessions before the men’s and women’s 10-kilometer races. Several athletes experienced illness after the triathlon, though the origin of their conditions remained uncertain.
Although Beck attributed her sickness to the Seine, the German Olympic committee asserted that tests deemed it feasible to proceed with the races. Overall, 53 swimmers—29 men and 24 women—competed, with most not finding the water’s cleanliness an issue. Women’s gold medalist Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands noted that she even drank some of the river water during her race, describing it as “cold” and “nice.”
Similarly, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, an 800-meter freestyle gold medalist competing in his first open water race, dismissed concerns about the water’s cleanliness. He mentioned that the readings he reviewed before the men’s race showed less E. coli in the Seine than what one might find in a regular pool.
In response to the reports of illness, the Paris organizing committee released a statement expressing well wishes for the athletes’ recovery. They emphasized that no confirmed link existed between the illnesses and the Seine’s water quality, adding that the water quality on the race day was considered “very good” or “excellent” at all testing points and met World Aquatics’ thresholds.
World Aquatics referred further comments to the Paris organizers.
