In a symbolic gesture, French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a dive into the Seine on Saturday to demonstrate the river’s improved water quality ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Wearing a body suit, she swam a few meters near the Alexandre III bridge, the site for the Olympic open water swimming events.
“We kept our promise,” Oudéa-Castéra declared after the swim. She was accompanied by Alexis Hanquinquant, France’s Paralympic flag bearer, who also swam in preparation for his competition on September 1.
Swimming in the Seine was banned in 1923 due to pollution, and despite several pledges from French politicians over the years, the river remained off-limits. Former Paris mayor Jacques Chirac famously promised in 1988 to make the Seine swimmable by the end of his term, a goal that was never achieved.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French President Emmanuel Macron have also vowed to swim in the river to prove its cleanliness, although Macron humorously declined to set a date for his swim.
The swim took place despite recent concerns about water quality. Unsafe levels of E.coli were found in the river late last month and into July, raising questions about its suitability for swimming events. Nevertheless, a €1.4 billion clean-up plan has been implemented to ensure the river meets health standards for the Olympics.
This public swim aimed to reassure the public and athletes about the water quality as Paris prepares to host the world for the 2024 Games.
