"We are just puppets in a puppetshow": Marten Van Riel, Vicky Holland, & more athletes slam Paris Olympics' changing triathlon events to duathlon

By Marie Amani

Modified Jul 30, 2024 17:10 GMT

Marten Van Riel, among other athletes, has criticized the move by Paris Olympics organizers to postpone the men’s triathlon last minute. It was set for Tuesday but has been moved to Wednesday, July 31, with the announcement being made four hours before the event began.

Reacting to the statement from the Olympic organizers, Van Riel insisted that there should have been an alternate venue for the event.

The Belgian star explained that passing the information across at such a crucial time was disrespectful to the athletes. In a statement shared on Instagram, Marten Van Riel noted that it was disrespectful to the fans looking to watch the event live or on TV and cheer on the athletes.

"If the priority was the health of the athletes this event would have been to another location a long time ago. We are just puppets in a puppetshow," Van Riel said.

"Duathlon is no triathlon and changing the day like that in the middle of the night is disrespectful to the years of preparation of the athletes and to all (y) our fans that were going to watch live or on tv. What an appearance for triathlon on the biggest scene," he added.

Another athlete, Mark Allen, speaking with Tri247, questioned why there was no backup plan for triathletes. He explained that there could have been a better way to handle the situation.

Allen added that an alternative venue had been put in place for the swimmers and wondered why the same could not have been done for the triathletes.

"An alternate venue was put in place to be able to hold the marathon swim events if the water quality doesn’t cooperate in the Seine. Those will take place at the rowing and canoeing venue. Why was this not Plan B for triathlons as well?" Allen asked.

Jamie Riddle shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram handle noting that it was unbelievable. He had woken up in the wee hours of the morning only to learn about the news.

"I honestly never thought I'd be saying this but our race has been postponed. It's 4 am here in Paris and we've just received news that the water quality is still not good enough for us to race so they have moved the race to tomorrow at 10:45. I put it unbelievable but there's nothing we can do, we just have to accept," Riddle shared.

On her part, Vickie Holland was irked by the news, saying that there would have been a better way of passing the message.

She added that the water quality issues have been spoken about severally and there would have been a better way to solve the crisis.

"It's something we've known about for years, it's just not in the recent months. I do believe there had been a real attitude now, especially among the athletes and the British team that it will be alright on the day," Holland said as quoted by the Mirror.

"Yes, there had been contingencies in place and we had planned that there might have to be a change, but I don't think anyone thought it would happen, yet here we are. All being well, hopefully, we will get two races out tomorrow," she added.

Meanwhile, the event had to be postponed due to the high contamination levels in the Seine River.

The organizers explained that the rain was one aspect that caused the high levels of bacteria, forcing the postponement of the swimming event in the men’s triathlon.

"Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons," officials said.

"Despite the improvement of water quality levels over the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits," their statement added.

Marten Van Riel reveals his mindset as he eyes a medal at Paris Olympics

Marten Van Riel reveals his mindset heading to the Paris Olympic Games (Source-Getty Images)

Belgian triathlete Marten Van Riel will be out to enjoy himself at the Paris Olympics hoping to secure a medal in the triathlon.

Marten Van Riel shared on Stroud News and Journal that his main goal will be to leave the games knowing that he gave his all, whether he wins a medal or not. However, he said winning a medal would be an added advantage.

"I’m going for a medal in Paris but I’ll have no regrets. I will have been all in and done everything for it. I think leaving it all out there in the end is the most important thing. To the outside world, obviously medals matter but for me what really matters is to have fun," Van Riel told Stroud News and Journal.

"To know that I left it all out there and to know that I enjoyed the journey of the past few years towards this race. I hope that I can do a really great race in Paris, race aggressively and have no regrets," he added.

Marten Van Riel first competed in triathlon in 2009 and has been to two Olympic Games before the Paris Olympic Games. Marten Van Riel made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing sixth before his fourth-place finish at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.