Ekaterina Shabalina, a Kazakh triathlete, revealed a challenging moment during the swimming segment of the 2024 Paris Games. After experiencing vomiting, she had to obtain antimicrobial medication once she returned home, a step she said she had taken before in her racing career. The athlete’s account was reported by TASS, illustrating the kind of health hurdles athletes sometimes face when competing at the highest level.
Shabalina recalled a recurring issue that had already troubled her in Hong Kong during a World Cup event. She described an intestinal infection that affected multiple competitors, which led to widespread complaints. Despite the input from athletes and teams, World Triathlon conducted an investigation but did not find any anomalies in the water samples from the race course. As a result, she characterized the situation as a best-guess scenario rather than a confirmed health hazard. In that period, she noted the need to rely on antimicrobial treatment to support her recovery and performance in subsequent events.
The swimmer-turned-triathlete also commented on the Seine River water quality, calling it far from pristine. She indicated that athletes from other nations echoed similar concerns about the environmental conditions encountered during competition. This persistent doubt about water freshness underscores how environmental factors can influence athletes who train and compete across multiple disciplines and locations.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris opened on July 26 and continued through August 11, featuring a fast-paced calendar of events that tested endurance, strategy, and resilience across sport. The extended duration of the games brought together athletes from around the world under one umbrella, highlighting the importance of safety, preparedness, and careful monitoring of competing environments.
Anne Hidalgo, who served as the mayor of Paris, emphasized that restoring cleanliness to the Seine River would have a broad impact on the daily lives of Parisians. While the river remains a significant landmark and a focal point for the city’s cultural and economic activities, the health and safety of visitors and athletes alike hinge on water quality and environmental stewardship. These conversations about the river’s condition reflect a larger commitment to ensuring public spaces are safe, accessible, and welcoming to people from all backgrounds who travel to Paris for major events and everyday life alike.