Paris Mayor Swims in Seine to Show It’s Safe for Olympic Races

Jenny Che

(Bloomberg) — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine on Wednesday morning, seeking to show that the river was clean and ready for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games that kick off later this month. 

France has earmarked €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) for the river’s clean-up amid lingering concerns that the overflows from the city’s sewage system bring waste waters and their bacteria into the Seine, making it unswimmable. President Emmanuel Macron has committed to a dip in the river at some point. 

“We will allow Olympic events to take place, and allow people to swim after, but in cleaning the river we also avoid trashing the ocean,” Hidalgo said after her swim. “We have to adapt our cities to climate change and rivers are part of it.”

Getting the river cleaned for the races and for the French capital’s residents once the games are over is something of a heritage project for France. The gigantic undertaking, which effectively puts an end to a century-old ban on swimming in the Seine, has drawn attention from across the globe. Announced as part of the city’s bid to host the games, the project’s challenges mirror those faced by large metropolises like London and Sydney that sit on a body of water they can’t always fully capitalize on.

For the Olympics, the plan is to have 55 male and 55 female triathletes jump off a floating pontoon at the base of the iconic Pont Alexandre III on July 30 and 31. After a 1.5-kilometer swim, they’re scheduled to bike on the fabled Champs-Elysées, Boulevard Saint-Germain and even by the National Assembly. The race is set to finish where it started after four running laps through the heart of Paris. About a week later, marathon swimmers will take the plunge from the same site.

Several swimming clubs that had gathered to watch Hidalgo dive in were enthusiastic about the possibility of a swim. A huge line quickly formed to go in the water.

A key determinant of how clean the river is has to do with the weather. A streak of rainy days can lead the city’s sewage system to overflow. A drippy June, for instance, rendered the Seine’s Olympics swim spot mostly unswimmable in the month. Paris authorities are more upbeat for July.

Another concern for swimmers: according to data published in July by Paris authorities, the water flow in the Seine is more than three times what it usually is for this time of year, making the river dangerous to swim in. If the situation fails to improve, a plan B for marathon swimmers has been designated east of Paris.