“Swimming in shit”: the participants of the World Cup in the UK got sick with diarrhea

At least fifty-seven people have developed nausea and diarrhea after competing in sea swimming at the World Triathlon Championships in Sunderland, British health officials confirmed this weekend.

According to The Observer, around 2,000 people took part in the activities, which included a swim at Sunderland’s blue-flagged Roker Beach. The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has said it will be testing samples from those who have been sick to determine the cause of the disease and any common pathogens.

EPA sampling at Rocker Beach on Wednesday, July 26, three days before the event, showed 3,900 colonies of E. coli per 100 ml, more than 39 times the normal rate for the previous month. E. coli is a bacterial infection that can cause stomach pain and bloody diarrhea, explains The Observer.

But British Triathlon, the UK’s governing body for triathlon, said the agency’s sampling results were not released until after the weekend’s competition and were outside the water where the competition took place. The body said in a statement that the results of its own tests met the required standards for the event.

The event took place on a stretch of waterfront that has been at the center of a long-running effluent discharge battle between campaigners and the government over violations of the law, writes The Observer.

Northumbrian Water insists it is not at fault for the disease and that it has not recorded any discharges since October 2021 that could affect water quality at Roker Beach.

28-year-old Australian triathlete Jacob Birtwistle posted the results of the Environmental Protection Agency on social media and said that he felt unwell after the competition. He wrote: “After the race, I felt pretty lousy, but I guess that’s what happens when you swim in shit. The swim should have been cancelled.”

One athlete replied: “At least I know what made me and a bunch of other athletes who raced sick.” Another wrote: “Now that explains why I spent Monday night sticking my head in the toilet after the competition on Sunday morning!”

And 51-year-old Eilit Eve Harley-Roberts from Leeds, who competed in the Standard category with a 1500-meter swim across the sea, said that she herself did not get sick, but other participants had stomach upsets. “I like to swim in the open air, but I have no confidence in the cleanliness of the seas, rivers, lakes, etc. due to the discharge of sewage or other effluents,” she noted.

Eva Perrin, a researcher at the Surfers Against Wastewater Campaign, said: “A sample taken on July 26 showed an unprecedented level of E. coli, well above what is naturally occurring in this body of water or safe for human recreational use, and needs to be investigated urgently.”

Campaigner Bob Latimer, 79, has been suing the government for several years over sewage discharges in Whitburn, north of Roker Beach. In June, the Environmental Law Foundation sent a preliminary letter on its behalf to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and regulator Wat for alleged judicial review, alleging that there were 122 discharges in the Whitburn Sea in 2021 alone. which amounted to 821,088 tons of wastewater and pollution.

Latimer says that between 2017 and 2021, wastewater discharges from the Whitburn water main increased and the government did not comply with wastewater regulations. He said, “Too much sewage is still being dumped into the sea.”

Data released by the Rivers Trust, based on reports from water companies, shows that stormwater was discharged into the mouth of the River Wear, near the triathlon site, 28 times in 2022 in a total of 370 hours. Northumbrian Water said these sewage discharges will not affect Rocker Beach as they were “intercepted” and released as a result of the long outing.

The Sunderland triathlon was the British leg of the triathlon world championship series and was part of the qualifying round for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. There were also races with participants over various distances, including a family event. This was the first time that Sunderland had hosted a British leg of the series.

The British Triathlon said the body is working closely with Sunderland City Council and the UKHSA to determine the cause of the illnesses. EPA officials say the July 26 sampling was not released until July 31 because lab analysis was required.

There are various factors that can affect water quality, including the use of sewage runoff operated by water companies, as well as runoff from roads and fields. Northumbrian Water has stated that it does not believe that any of its infrastructure has been involved in any pollution incidents that may have affected triathlon competition.