Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen missed his flag-bearer duties at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday (August 11) after he was hospitalized due to an illness he suffered after swimming in the long-polluted Seine River last week.
“Thanks everyone who reached out, I’m incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be flag bearer last night.Yesterday I rushed to hospital as I was very unwell with a bug that I am being treated for, and am feeling better now. I hope everyone enjoys the evening and I hope to be well enough to seeing everyone when we get home,” Wiffen wrote on his X account Sunday, though not providing additional details.
Wiffen won gold in the men’s 800-meter freestyle — becoming the first Irish swimmer to ever win the event — and took bronze in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle finals, both of which were held in indoor pools, while also finishing 18th in the men’s 10-kilometer marathon on August 9.
“It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done,” Wiffen told RTE after the event, vowing “never to it again.”
“I’m retiring from open water,” he added.
Poor quality levels in the River Seine led to the men’s individual triathlon race being postponed during the first full week of competition. The race was originally scheduled to be held on July 30 and pushed back in accordance with a decision made by World Triathlon, its medical team, the International Olympic Committee and Paris city officials.
The opening ceremony, which was held on July 26, was met with heavy rain, raising concerns about water quality in the River Seine, which typically declines after rainfall. Training was canceled on July 28 and July 29 after water quality testing deemed the river to be unsafe for athletes, though organizers were still optimistic about the race being held on its original date at the time.
The decision to hold some swimming events in the River Seine was met with concerns as swimming in the famous body of water has been illegal for a century, though the intention was to put Paris on full display as organizers vowed to clean up the river. An estimated total of $1.4 billion Euros ($1.5 billion USD) was spent in clean up efforts, according to CNN.
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