Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo kept her promise and took a swim in the Seine nine days before the start of the Olympics, French media reported.
Hidalgo was accompanied on a Wednesday morning by Tony Estanguet, head of the Olympic organising committee and three-time Olympic champion in rowing slalom. They swam to the platform located about 100 metres from the starting point.
The mayor of Paris has postponed her swim twice. In June, strong currents in the river were an obstacle, then Hidalgo deemed it inappropriate to swim in the midst of campaigning ahead of snap elections to the French parliament.
Last week, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera organised a swim in the river to allay fears about the quality of the Seine’s water. Earlier it was reported that triathlon and open water swimming events at the upcoming Olympics may be postponed due to water quality in the Seine.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923. Due to the mass dumping of sewage, rubbish and various wastes in the river since 1960s there are no fish and even dogs refuse to swim there. The level of toxicity of the water is prohibitive. After receiving the right to host the Olympics, the Paris authorities allocated about 1.4 billion euros to solve the problem.
The Summer Olympics in Paris will run from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Athletes will play 329 sets of awards in 32 sports.
