The mayor of Paris announced on French radio that she will swim in the Seine River in the city over the coming week to demonstrate the waters’ Olympic preparedness in spite of recurrent pollution issues.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the water would be “depolluted, that’s for sure,” and she would “dive in next week,” reported by France Inter radio.
The marathon swimming for the Paris Olympics in August and the triathlon later this month will all happen in the said river.
Seine still a source of worry
The river’s viability for swimming competitions is still a source of worry, despite a cleanup effort worth 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion USD). According to a statement from the mayor’s office, tests conducted last week revealed safe bacteria levels for the first time.
Mayor Hidalgo, one of the primary leaders in the planning of the Paris Olympics, had earlier said that she would swim in the Seine, but she decided to delay the swim when French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly.
The mayor claimed that during the rapid election campaign, the Seine was not a priority to look into. As of now, Macron has not yet disclosed a date, but he did say he would swim in the Seine as well.
Furthermore, the very high springtime rainfall has caused the cleaning plan to take longer than anticipated. Despite this, organizers were optimistic that Olympic swimmers would be able to use the river. If the currents are not too strong, the 0pening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is scheduled to take place on the Seine on July 26. Strong water flows brought on by heavy rains recently forced the cancellation of a rehearsal on June 24.
Source: CNN