Team GB’s triathlon stars are already preparing for pollution in the Seine during the Paris Olympics by eating more yoghurt and taking probiotics, it can be revealed.
British triathletes have also been told they should not touch recovery drinks or food after training in the water until they have been “sanitised to within an inch of their lives” in a bid to avoid gastrointestinal issues.
The rare insight into Team GB’s plans for the Games comes a week after the Paris 2024 president, Tony Estanguet, conceded that the prospect of heavy rain raising E coli levels in the Seine was one of his “biggest challenges”.
However British Triathlon have detailed plans in place ahead of the 100 days to go marker as they try to ensure the team led by women’s world champion, Beth Potter, and the Tokyo 2020 gold and silver medallist, Alex Yee, have the best chance of challenging for medals in the women’s, men’s and mixed relay categories.
Mike Cavendish, the performance director of British Triathlon, said that while other countries were looking at using medications to protect their athletes, GB’s main focus was on using food and probiotics high in “friendly bacteria”.
“Probiotic use is a big thing and it’s all about just getting your guts being able to be really effective at dealing with any pollution that comes in,” he said, before confirming that would come in the form of natural foods, such as yoghurt and kefir, as well as tablets. “There will also be a lot of carbs in there, and part of that is because they absorb a load of crap, to be completely frank. But the days of just drinking a can of Coke and thinking that’s going to work are long gone.”
As part of Team GB’s preparations, athletes’ wetsuits will also be scrubbed in Hibiscrub disinfectant after every session in Paris.
“One of the biggest ways of getting ill is not necessarily from what you drink and swallow when you’re in the water,” said Cavendish. “It’s when you get out and touch your hands to your mouth and eyes. So immediately we will scrub them down with Hibiscrub, which is basically what they use in operating theatres. We’ll also take their wetsuits, if they’re wearing them, back to our hotel, and they will be completely and utterly disinfected.
“And they are not allowed to go anywhere near any of their recovery stuff or food until we have completely and utterly sanitised them to within an inch of their lives.”
In last year’s test event in Paris, the mixed relay had to switch to a duathlon format with the swimming leg abandoned due to the poor water quality in the Seine. However Cavendish said he was confident improvements to the sewage system would enable the full triathlon to take place this summer.
“Climate change has made predicting the weather very difficult,” he admitted. “But my understanding is unless we get pretty significant levels of rain for a pretty significant level of time, the swimming leg will be fine.”
“And we don’t want a duathlon. We want it to be the iconic triathlon. We want the sport to be advertised in its fullest format. There’s some fantastic imagery that you get standing on that bridge looking towards the Eiffel Tower, particularly at that time in the morning when the sun’s just coming up. It will be amazing. And whatever happens we’ll be ready.”
Cavendish also praised French organisers for spending significant amounts of money in an attempt to make it possible to swim the Seine for the first time in a century – and for doing everything possible to make it safe for athletes.
“The idea of bringing water quality to the forefront of people’s minds is laudable and I genuinely don’t think they could have done more,” he said. “The data they have on water quality is monumental – in the 750-metre area we’ll be swimming in the triathlon they have literally 15 different sets of pollution readings after 30 minutes or so.”
