Swimming in the River Seine has for the most part been prohibited since 1923 due to contamination .
1.On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo finally swam in the River Seine.
2.According to theAthletic, her long-awaited dip was part of an effort to prove that the river cutting through the heart of Paris is safe for the athletes to compete in during the Olympics.
3.The river will host triathlon and marathon swimming events during the Olympics and the Paralympics, which kick off on July 26.
4.Hidalgo was joined Wednesday for a swim by two Paris 2024 officials: deputy for sport Pierre Rabadan and head of the organizing committee Tony Estanguet. Île-de-France region prefect Marc Guillaume also took a dip in the river.
5.The Seine has long been notoriously unsafe to swim in.
6.In fact, according to theAssociated Press, swimming in the river was banned in 1923 because of pollution.
7.According to a JuneNBC Newsreport, Hidalgo was supposed to swim in the river last month but delayed her swim, citing “weather” as well as “demands” of France’s snap election.
8.Concerns about the river’s viability for Olympic events remain active. According toCNN, the presence of E. coli in the river exceeded acceptable levels between June 3 and July 2 but was acceptable last week.
9.Significant efforts have been made to clean up the river ahead of the Olympics.
10.The AP reports that $1.5 billion was spent on infrastructure to catch contaminated stormwater before it drained into the river.
11.According toUSA Today, some Parisians are upset with the amount of money devoted to the cleanup efforts, which have had limited success, as well as the general stress the Olympics will cause the city. This has led to an online push to defecate in the river, though it’s unclear how serious this possible protest action is.
