A member of Team USA’s triathlon team has come up with an unusual method to tackle the dirty waters of the River Seine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Organizers in Paris have come under fire for failing to eliminate the problem of E.coli levels in the water, with the triathlon events postponed after water quality tests on Friday showed E.coli levels in the river fell below the standards required for to allow these competitions.

But US Olympian Seth Rider, 27, says he’s trying to build up immunity to the bacteria by exposing himself to it and also choosing not to wash his hands.

“We actually competed here last year in the test competition,” he said. “I don’t think anyone got sick after that, which can’t be said for all the races we do.

“Before this race I knew there was going to be some E.coli exposure. So I’ve been trying to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a little bit of E.coli in everyday life. Just little things like not washing my hands after you go to the bathroom and stuff like that.”

Rider isn’t the only triathlete experimenting with different methods to combat being exposed to the bacteria.

Taylor Spivey, 33, said she increased her intake of probiotics to “help us resist all kinds of diseases that come our way.”

Another male athlete, Morgan Pearson, 30, claimed he had heard consuming carbohydrates could be the answer to a dirty river.

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