Team GB’s marathon swimmers will receive a typhoid and hepatitis A vaccine before racing in the River Seine at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
The Seine’s water quality has been under scrutiny since a test event was cancelled last year after samples revealed dangerously high levels of E. coli were present in the river.
Now, Britain’s Hector Pardoe has told i: “We’re going to have a typhoid and hepatitis A vaccine beforehand, and be on antibiotics after the race – regardless of what the water samples show.”
It’s not uncommon for open water swimmers to take Pepto-Bismol – typically used to treat acid reflux, diarrhoea and nausea – after competing, but the provisions for Paris are a step up.
“I haven’t had to take precautions like this before, but the last thing British Swimming wants to do is put any of us in jeopardy, so they are being really cautious in the run up to Paris,” Pardoe said.
World Aquatics was forced to cancel the Paris leg of its Open Water Swimming World Cup last August after water quality was ruled to be “below acceptable standards” for swimmers’ health.
Overcoming high levels of water pollution has been a legacy ambition for French organisers, who have spent over £1.2bn in clean-up efforts ahead of becoming only the second city behind London to host three Olympics.
However, British athletes are taking no risks. Performance director of British Triathlon, Mike Cavendish, has said that his competitors are being encouraged to eat food and probiotics high in “friendly bacteria” rather than medication.
While these measures are precautionary, swimming in contaminated waters is not unfamiliar territory for Pardoe, who is on the hunt for his first Olympic medal across the 10km distance, having made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 aged just 18.
“I did a race in Barcelona Harbour last year and that was disgusting,” he added. “At first I thought what I could smell was diesel from the boats, but afterwards I found out it was human faeces.
“At the grand final of the World Series in Madeira last December there was sewage being pumped into the water three miles from the start line.
“Water pollution is a growing issue and athlete safety should be put first. If we keep getting more and more water quality issues I think it’s really important that athletes speak up about it and rebel, saying: ‘I’m not going to participate’ if the standard is that poor.”
Prompted by personal experience, the youngster has used his profile to raise awareness about water quality in the UK, breaking a 26-year-long record for the fastest swim from end-to-end of Lake Windermere last summer.
“I wanted to use my profile not just to record fast times, beat a clock and follow all the conventional achievements – I wanted to do something more.
“I realised that if I was experiencing it [pollution] at the highest level, then people must be experiencing it at an amateur level too.
“I know I did beat the record but that was because unless I did that, I was never going to get the profile and the media interest to raise awareness on the issue of poor water quality.
“I think about 14 per cent of rivers and lakes in the UK are deemed safe to swim in – if you compare that to other European nations like Italy and Germany which are all between 50 and 70 per cent, we’re massively behind.
“Austria is the leading European nation in water quality at 98 per cent – of course if we want to challenge Austria there’s a huge amount of work to be done – but come on, we shouldn’t be at the bottom of the spectrum within Europe. We’re delivering excellence in the swimming pool but we’re falling so far behind in terms of how safe our waters are.
“We’re in an era where so many kids are glued to social media. They’re being deprived of the opportunity to be outdoors and enjoy these beautiful places because we can’t keep our water clean as a nation.
“I would hate to think other 12-year-olds at the same age I started open water swimming are going to miss out.”
While continuing to raise awareness is a personal priority, Pardoe is confident the marathon event will take place this summer.
“I’ve worked so hard for the last three years, I don’t want to not be able to compete in the pinnacle of the sport, but I’m very confident there will be a race. There will be an Olympic champion crowned in open water swimming this summer.”
The Wrexham-born athlete, who cemented his place in Paris with a bronze finish at the World Championships in Doha earlier this year, is being fuelled by the disappointment he experienced in Tokyo after the forearm of another athlete clashed with his eye socket, forcing him to withdraw from the race.
“I keep telling people I’m on the road to redemption. It wasn’t my fault that I got injured but I’ve had people doubt me, so now I have a point to prove.
“Paris is an opportunity to show that the incident that happened in Tokyo is not the end of the story for Hector Pardoe – it’s the first chapter and there’s going to be 20 more. Tokyo was the introduction but Paris is going to be the main event.
“A podium finish is the ambition. I know I am capable. When I’m staring down at the pool now in training I’m imagining myself being on the podium, looking out at the Eiffel Tower with a medal around my neck.”