July 17, 2024
The water is very, very good. A little cool, but not so bad.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, while swimming in the Seine River on Wednesday. The city has spent nine years trying to clean the polluted Seine to where it could be usable for the Olympics.
Why It Matters: The Seine, flowing through the middle of Paris, has been un-swimmable for over a century. But as the Paris Olympics begin in just over a week, the city’s mayor took a dip in the river to prove its cleanliness after a $1.5 billion cleanup plan established in 2015 sought to implement increased water treatment plans and renovate sewer infrastructure. Originally planned in June but postponed due to last-minute parliament elections, Mayor Hidalgo stated during her Wednesday swim, “The Seine is exquisite.”
Paris will use the Seine for the Opening Ceremony on July 26, and plans to host several open water swimming events in the river throughout the games – including marathon swimming and the swimming legs of the triathlon for both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Read More: Paris mayor dips into the Seine River to showcase its improved cleanliness before Olympic events (The Associated Press)
Photo Credit: Anne Hidalgo / Instagram
by Emily Hooker, based in Texas
