Opening of swimming in the Seine: Paris is getting ready for the 2024 Olympics
26 july 2024 в 05:13
In 1923, swimming in the Seine was prohibited, but now grandstands have been installed along the river to make the Seine the center of the city’s stadium.
After months of waiting, smiling Anne Hidalgo kept her promise to show that the Seine is clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympic Games.
Nine days before the opening ceremony on July 17, the 65-year-old mayor of Paris went into the purified waters of the river to swim. Wearing a wetsuit and a mask, she plunged into the river near the impressive city hall of Paris, her office, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
She was followed into the water by the President of Paris 2024 and former rower Tony Estanguet, as well as Mark Guillem, a senior government official in the Paris region. Guillem is responsible for safety and traffic on the famous Parisian waterway, which will be the center of the opening ceremony.
«The water is wonderful», - Hidalgo told NBC News after coming out of the water, adding that «it's very cool and very pleasant».
Estanguet added that this is «a very important step, because it confirms that we are ready for the Games».
«The quality of the Seine is perfect», - he said about the murky water. He added that this is a message to athletes to enjoy the Games.
An extensive engineering project, costing around $ 1.5 billion over the past few years, has limited the flow of sewage and industrial waste into the Seine.
The project was carried out to make the long-polluted river clean enough to host several Olympic events — including triathlon and two 10-kilometer swimming competitions — and for the opening ceremony, which includes a fleet of boats with thousands of athletes.
But many remained skeptical. Perhaps because there was a hashtag, with its own website to reinforce its message, #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to «I poop in the Seine on June 23».
Although the protest seemed mostly limited to the internet, the French have a history of being cult-like and devoted protesters. It is difficult to say whether curious Parisians watching Hidalgo, who was originally supposed to swim with President Emmanuel Macron, were witnessing a sinister joke unfold or still believed that the water was too dirty for swimming, despite the huge project costs.
Hidalgo’s original plan to swim on June 23 was postponed due to the river level and bacteria in it. Results from early June showed unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, although levels have since improved.
The swim was then rescheduled for June 30, which ultimately did not happen due to the French parliamentary elections
After months of waiting, smiling Anne Hidalgo kept her promise to show that the Seine is clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympic Games.
Nine days before the opening ceremony on July 17, the 65-year-old mayor of Paris went into the purified waters of the river to swim. Wearing a wetsuit and a mask, she plunged into the river near the impressive city hall of Paris, her office, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
She was followed into the water by the President of Paris 2024 and former rower Tony Estanguet, as well as Mark Guillem, a senior government official in the Paris region. Guillem is responsible for safety and traffic on the famous Parisian waterway, which will be the center of the opening ceremony.
«The water is wonderful», - Hidalgo told NBC News after coming out of the water, adding that «it's very cool and very pleasant».
Estanguet added that this is «a very important step, because it confirms that we are ready for the Games».
«The quality of the Seine is perfect», - he said about the murky water. He added that this is a message to athletes to enjoy the Games.
An extensive engineering project, costing around $ 1.5 billion over the past few years, has limited the flow of sewage and industrial waste into the Seine.
The project was carried out to make the long-polluted river clean enough to host several Olympic events — including triathlon and two 10-kilometer swimming competitions — and for the opening ceremony, which includes a fleet of boats with thousands of athletes.
But many remained skeptical. Perhaps because there was a hashtag, with its own website to reinforce its message, #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to «I poop in the Seine on June 23».
Although the protest seemed mostly limited to the internet, the French have a history of being cult-like and devoted protesters. It is difficult to say whether curious Parisians watching Hidalgo, who was originally supposed to swim with President Emmanuel Macron, were witnessing a sinister joke unfold or still believed that the water was too dirty for swimming, despite the huge project costs.
Hidalgo’s original plan to swim on June 23 was postponed due to the river level and bacteria in it. Results from early June showed unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, although levels have since improved.
The swim was then rescheduled for June 30, which ultimately did not happen due to the French parliamentary elections
© Kolganov Andrey
