Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has finally made good on a promise to bathe in the long-polluted Seine to prove it is safe ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin next week.
Hidalgo insists that Paris’ famous river is safe to swim in for three triathlons and a marathon swim planned to take place in the city.
However, high levels of E. coli were detected only last week. The Athletic reported..
Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923, but Olympic organizers spent $1.5 billion cleaning up the river in preparation for the games.
“The Seine is amazing,” Hidalgo told reporters Wednesday as she bathed. “The water is really, really nice. It’s a little cold, but it’s not bad.”
The 65-year-old mayor of Paris donned a wetsuit and goggles and jumped in near City Hall and Notre Dame Cathedral, accompanied by Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris Olympics, and Marc Guillaume, a senior government official in the Paris region.
Estanguett He told NBC News Wednesday’s swim “is a very important milestone because it’s confirmation that I’m ready for the Olympics,” he said.
He added that the water quality of the Seine is “perfect.”
However, concerns about water quality continue after E. coli levels rose in two locations last week and have spiked several times in June.
However, Paris Olympic officials believe levels have improved since then due to rising temperatures. CNN reported:.
Hidalgo had originally planned to swim Paris’ famous canal in June but postponed it due to French parliamentary elections.
Parisians are frustrated as anger towards their host city simmers and some believe funds spent on the Olympics should be spent on more pressing issues.
This led to frustrated Parisians threatening to defecate in the Seine in protest against the Olympics.
But when the Olympics begin, the Seine will be one of the highlights, with athletes sailing down the river in their country’s boats during the opening ceremony.
The triathlon and swimming competitions are scheduled to begin in late July.
Olympic organisers said earlier this month they had a back-up plan in case E. coli levels rose again. The Associated Press reported..
Organisers said the triathlon would be transformed into a duathlon, eliminating the swim portion, and the marathon swimming event could be moved to the Vers-sur-Marne Maritime Stadium.
