Also pulling out of the team relay was Swiss triathlete Adrien Briffod, who has been battling a stomach virus.
Neither nation has officially said that the river is to blame for the illnesses; nonetheless, Belgian news outlets have reported that Michel may have contracted E. coli, a bacterium that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee has refrained from providing any details on Michel’s sickness.
At the same time, the Swiss Olympic team said that it was “impossible to say” whether Briffod’s sickness was caused by his swim in the Seine River.
After officials confirmed that the river’s bacteria levels were safe for participants, the mixed relay race proceeded as scheduled today.
