What about the athletes?
Last month, Australia’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares said she had faith in the assurances of the Games organisers but would not force athletes to participate if tests showed the water was not safe.“It’s not a point of us stepping in to say ‘we will not let you swim’. Ultimately it’s the choice of the athlete,†Meares said.
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Team medical director Dr Carolyn Broderick said the Australian Olympic Committee had experience of protecting athletes from potential infection after similar concerns about the open water swimming venues at the 2016 Rio Games. Her medical team will apply antibacterial solutions to the eyes and skin of athletes after they had been in the water and offer them prophylactic drugs to prevent gut infections.
“I think if the Paris Organising Committee say it’s safe to swim, I don’t have grave concerns,†Broderick said. “We are certainly aware that the water quality differs considerably brd on what’s happening outside, particularly rainfall. So we need to prepare them for the possible pathogens that might be in there. And we’ve got a system in place to do that.â€
Could Olympic events be cancelled?
Organisers have made clear that there is no Plan B if the water quality does not meet European safety standards during the two weeks of the Games. And while Paris 2024 boss Tony Estanguet was “confident that it will be possible to use the Seineâ€, he has forewarned “rainy conditions†could force a postponement of the marathon swimming (August 8-9) and triathlon (July 30-31 and August 5). The International Olympic Committee also said in April that the triathlon could be turned into a duathlon - just running and cycling - if the river’s water is too polluted.