Suspicion of food poisoning at Insep, many athletes victims of vomiting and nausea.

The medical center of Insep is running at full speed, however, there is no question of treating muscle tears or bandaging joints. Between Wednesday afternoon and this Thursday, several athletes from the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance complained of vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. If the origin of the problem remains a mystery, the trail of food poisoning has necessarily been raised. The firefighters came, the police too. A team from the Regional Health Agency was dispatched to investigate. She asked those present not to drink tap water or take showers.

An athlete confirms that the origin of the ailments is unknown and that little information is circulating. The water is in the crosshairs of the investigators but food could also have caused this situation. “Meals are organized by external service providers until further notice,” explains Michel Chrétien, national swimming coach. Five athletes from his group of sixteen swimmers are sick. “We are not worried but some will not be able to participate in the Saint-Germain-en-Laye meeting, he specifies. They will gradually return to training next week. »

For athletes spared from nausea, the training sessions are not turned upside down. “As long as you don’t eat or drink, athletes can train without any problem. People are careful and there is no reason for there to be additional problems, ”adds Julien De Santa Barbara, head of the boxing division.

No serious cases diagnosed

Insep ensures that the situation is under control. “All those affected have been taken care of or invited to contact Insep medical teams to be taken care of by health professionals,” said the establishment for high-level athletes via a press release.

On the other hand, it is difficult to identify the number of patients. Between the 300 interns present daily within the structure, the externals and the agents who returned to their homes in bad shape, it is difficult to find your way around. “Some of our athletes are affected and are currently under medical supervision,” the French Fencing Federation said on Twitter. The situation is reassuring. The FFE then withdrew its tweet, believing that Insep’s communication was sufficient on its own. Despite the lack of certainties, anxiety does not reign in the corridors of the various poles. “We are not dealing with a nuclear bomb either”, we slip within a federation of which certain athletes are present on the spot.

Insep confirms: “We note that no serious case has been diagnosed. Nevertheless, some contingents were approaching deadlines in their season. Others spun at the right time. “At my pole, we are not affected, blows De Santa Barbara, the trainer of boxers and boxers. We are not there. Those concerned with the pre-qualification tournament for the Olympic Games have not been at Insep for more than a week. Finally, the absentees are not always wrong.