More than 57 participants have fallen ill after competing in the open water swimming event during the Triathlon World Championships in Sunderland, northeast England, the newspaper has reported. The Guardian Saturday. Following a competition at Roker Beach on the weekend of July 29-30, symptomatic athletes complained of nausea and diarrhea. The British newspaper has assured that the United Kingdom Health Security Agency would analyze samples of those affected to determine the cause of the disease and the possible pathogens that could cause it.
Australian triathlete Jacob Birtwhistle posted on Instagram earlier in the week that he was feeling unwell after taking part in the event. “I’ve been feeling pretty sick since the race, but I guess that’s what happens when you swim in shit,” the athlete said in the post, adding that he believed the event should have been cancelled.
The triathlon event in Sunderland is the British event of the 2023 World Triathlon Championships and coincides with the qualification period for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and around 2,000 people took part in the race. The organization of the event, British Triathlon, affirmed on Thursday its commitment to collaborate with the Sunderland City Council and the health authorities to determine the cause of the diseases. Britain’s water companies have recently come under fire for releasing raw sewage, which has led to poor quality in rivers and beaches.
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