MOSCOW, August 7 Triathletes need to sue the organizers of the Olympic Games, who failed to provide athletes with normal conditions for training and competition, Dmitry Svishchev, a member of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, told Match TV.
The Paris Triathlon competitions for men and women were held on July 31, despite the cancellation of training swims and the postponement of the start for men due to poor water quality in the Seine River. Belgian triathlete Claire Michel was hospitalized with E. coli, which is why the national team had to withdraw from the mixed relay. Adrien Briffaud and Simon Westermann from the Swiss team withdrew from the mixed relay due to stomach problems. Also, the silver medalist of the Paris Olympics, New Zealander Hayden Wild, said that he had symptoms of E. coli infection after swimming in the river.
“After a triathlon competition in the dirty Seine, several athletes developed symptoms of an intestinal infection… If I were the athletes and heads of delegations, I would sue the organizers of the Olympic Games. They must ensure the safety of all athletes. This is not only protection from terrorists and hooligans, but also including environmental and medical. They didn’t provide it, which means they must bear responsibility,” Svishchev said.
The State Duma deputy noted that the French authorities and the organizing committee of the Olympic Games convinced that nothing would threaten the athletes after the swims.
«Both the President of France and the Mayor of Paris said that the Seine would be clean, and they spent a lot of money cleaning it. Environmental activists said that we don't need these Olympic Games, because they will cause a huge number of problems. They were appeased by the fact that the Seine would be cleaned. In fact, not only the city residents were deceived, but also the athletes, who were forced to dive into dirty water,» he emphasized.
According to Svischev, the Olympic Games in Paris set a record: they will go down in history as Games that cannot be emulated and repeated, since every day news comes from the capital of France that is not about positive results or beautiful stories, but about negativity.
According to media reports, the level of pollution of the Seine with E. coli exceeded the recommended norm on the day of the swim of the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo in the river flowing through the capital. Hidalgo swam in the Seine on the eve of the Olympics to prove that it is safe to hold competitions in the river. Together with the mayor, the chairman of the organizing committee of the Games in Paris Tony Estanguet and the prefect of the capital region Marc Guillaume participated in the swim.
The Summer Olympic Games in Paris will last until August 11. Fifteen Russians have been admitted to the Games: seven tennis players, three canoeists, three cyclists, one trampoline jumper and one swimmer. By decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the athletes will compete in neutral status, without the Russian flag and anthem, and their awards will not be reflected in the medal table.
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