Olympic Swimmer Hospitalized One Day After Competing in the Seine River

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Irish Olympic swimmer Daniel Wiffen was forced to miss the Closing Ceremony after being taken to hospital shortly after swimming in Paris' notoriously polluted River Seine. Wiffen has won two medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics; a bronze medal for his performance in the men's 1500m freestyle swimming event and a gold medal in the 800m freestyle event.

The 23-year-old was scheduled to serve as the flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony on Saturday but was unable to attend due to illness.

“Thank you to everyone who reached out to me,” she began on Wiffen X (formerly Twitter). “I was incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be the flag bearer last night,” she added, going on to explain her absence.

“I was rushed to the hospital yesterday, I was very sick, I had a germ that I got treated for and now I feel better,” Wiffen continued. “I hope everyone enjoyed the evening and I hope to be well enough to see everyone when we get home.”

Although Wiffen did not reveal the cause of his disease, there is speculation that it is related to pollution in the Seine. Before the 2024 Olympics, swimming in the river had been banned for more than 100 years due to bacterial contamination. Organizers spent an estimated $1.5 billion on a plan to clean up the Seine, culminating in the mayor of Paris swimming in nearly 300 feet of water to prove its safety. Many swimmers have spoken of the terrible quality of the water, leading athletes to drink Coca-Cola to prevent bacterial infections.

Following the August 9 race, Wiffen described swimming the Seine River as “Probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my life” and vowed to “never do it again”.

“I'm retiring from offshore,” Wiffen said RTE“You'll see me drinking Guinness in nightclubs tonight,” he joked.

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