Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a historic plunge into the Seine River on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, just nine days before the start of the Paris Olympics, fulfilling a long-standing promise and marking a significant milestone in the city’s preparations for the Games. Accompanied by Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games organizing committee, and Marc Guillaume, prefect of Île-de-France, Hidalgo swam about 100 meters near the city hall and Notre Dame Cathedral.After her swim, Hidalgo enthusiastically declared, ‘The water is very, very good. A bit cold, but not bad,’ and even described it as ‘exquisite’. This symbolic act comes as the culmination of a massive €1.4 billion investment since 2016 to improve the Seine’s water quality and ecological state. The cleanup efforts have included modernizing sewage treatment plants, connecting barges to the sewage system, and collecting plastic waste.The Seine is set to play a starring role in the Paris Olympics, hosting several events including open water swimming, triathlon, and paratriathlon. It will also be the backdrop for the opening ceremony on July 26, featuring a boat parade of athletes – a first for the Summer Olympics.While recent water quality tests have shown positive results, with daily tests indicating improvement, concerns remain about potential pollution during heavy rainfall. The success of the cleanup efforts is seen as a key legacy achievement of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with hopes that Parisians will be able to enjoy swimming in the river during summer months by 2025, a century after it was banned due to pollution.As Paris enters the final stretch of Olympic preparations, Hidalgo’s swim has helped allay fears about the Seine’s readiness. The true test of the river’s transformation will come when athletes take to its waters in just over a week’s time, marking a new chapter in the Seine’s long history.
Key points
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine River to demonstrate its readiness for the 2024 Olympics.
- The swim marks the success of a €1.
- The Seine will host several Olympic events and is planned to open for public swimming by 2025.
4 billion cleanup effort since 2016.
Contradictions👾While most sources report positive outcomes of the cleanup efforts, some mention ongoing concerns about potential pollution during heavy rainfall.
