Paris (AP) – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo entered Wednesday The riverFulfilling his promise to show that the long-polluted waterway is clean by hosting swimming competitions 2024 Olympics as well as part of the opening ceremony, Only nine days left.
Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, followed by recent improvements.
Dressed in a wetsuit and goggles, Hidalgo wades into the river near the impressive City Hall, her office and Notre Dame Cathedral. She was joined by Paris 2024 CEO Tony Estangut and senior Paris regional government official Marc Guillaume from the capital’s local swimming clubs.
“Seine is great,” Hidalgo said from the water. After emerging, she continued pouring, “The water is very, very good. A little cool but not bad. Referring to the city’s “dream” and the city’s “master plan” that began in 2015, he said today is “a testimony to the fact that we have accomplished a lot.”
AP reporter Charles de Ledesma reports that the mayor of Paris will swim in the Seine amid concerns about water quality for the Paris Olympics.
They swim about 100 meters up the river, alternating between crawling and breaststroke.
“I find it amazing that after twenty years of sports in the river, we are trying to clean up the river,” said Estanguet, who has won three Olympic gold medals in canoeing.
It is part of a wider effort to showcase the river’s improved cleanliness during the Winter Games, which begin on July 26. A lavish open air ceremony It includes a parade of athletes on boats on the Seine.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and ensure that Parisians will have a clean river after the Games. The plan includes building a massive underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewage infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
Originally planned for June, Hidalgo’s primary was postponed due to snap French parliamentary elections. On the first day, the hashtag “jechiedanslaSeine” (“I’m wandering in the Seine”) appeared on social media as some protested the Olympics by defecating upstairs.
That didn’t deter Hidalgo, who carefully waded into the river on Wednesday using a ladder over a man-made pond set up for the event. Seven security boats have been deployed for the occasion.
The upper banks were crowded with curious onlookers.
“I wouldn’t have missed that for anything in the world,” said Lucie Coquereau, who woke up early to get the best view of Hidalgo from the Pont de Sully bridge that overlooks the swimming area.
Competitive swimmer Enzo Gallet, who participated in the French National Aquatic Championships, was among the athletes invited to attempt the Seine alongside the mayor of Paris.
The 23-year-old swam a few meters away from Hidalgo. “Her pull was pretty good,” he said, getting out of the water. “To be among those swimming in the center of Paris for the first time in a long, long time is something very special.”
After the authorities left the banks of the Seine, many swimmers were still in the water, some playing with balls and others practicing diving in the man-made pool – all in high spirits.
Other politicians have promised to clean up the Seine. Former French President Jacques Chirac He made a similar promise when he was mayor of Paris in 1988, but it never materialized.
Hidalgo followed in the footsteps of the French Minister of Sports Amelie Oudea-CasteraHe swam in the Seine in a full-body suit on Saturday.
As concerns over the Seine’s flow and pollution levels persisted, a monitoring team at Eau de Paris initiated daily water quality tests. Results in early June indicated unsafe levels of E.coli bacteria, followed by recent revisions.
The Seine hosts several open water swimming events throughout the Games, including the marathon swim at the Olympic Games and the swimming legs of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.
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Barbara Sirk in Nice, France contributed to this report.
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