Maarten van der Weijden halts charity swim due to illness

Olympic open water swimmer Maarten van der Weijden has officially halted his ‘22-city tour’ fundraising swim due to worsening health issues. After struggling with nausea and abdominal complaints earlier in the week, Van der Weijden reported rising symptoms and fever, leading to the decision to stop before reaching the final destination of Utrecht.

The approximately 270-kilometer swim was organized to raise funds for the Prinses Máxima Centrum, a hospital dedicated to childhood cancer research. Despite the cancellation, the initiative has been a financial success, raising over 550,000 euros for the cause.

During the event, influencer Bas Smit joined the swimmer for a short segment in Haastrecht, helping to raise an additional 50,000 euros via social media donations. Van der Weijden, a leukemia survivor himself, noted that this was intended to be his final major swimming fundraising effort.