A nonprofit organization said Monday that “alarming” levels of bacteria have been found in parts of the Seine River in recent months, raising questions about whether the river is suitable as an open water swimming venue for the 2024 Paris Olympics later this year. announced that there is growing concern.
The Surfrider Foundation, which focuses on protecting waterways and oceans, wrote in an open letter to Olympic officials that it has been collecting water samples from the Seine every two months for more than six months. Specifically, from bodies of water near the pair. A bridge over the Seine River that will be used as part of the triathlon swim course.
The foundation said it has consistently found levels of E. coli and enterococci above recommended thresholds, and in some cases significant amounts.
“It is therefore clear that athletes participating in the planned Olympic and Paralympic competitions on the Seine will be swimming in contaminated water and risking serious health risks,” the Surfrider Foundation said in a news release. mentioned in.
French authorities rejected the foundation's findings as flawed, primarily due to the months in which they were collected (September to March).
Officials in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, wrote in the letter that they were not actively treating parts of the river during the winter, and heavy rains also contributed to the rise in bacteria levels. Ta. They also said some key aspects of the plan to clean the river, such as giant tanks to capture rainwater, would not be implemented until late this month or next month.
“It is well known that the rainy (winter) period is not suitable for swimming,” Pierre Rabadin, Paris' deputy mayor for sport, Olympic and Paralympic affairs, told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
The Seine is set to play a starring role at the Olympic Games, which open on July 26th. In addition to hosting open water swimming events, it will also serve as the de facto venue for the opening ceremony, where athletes will float down the river on barges. Rather than marching into the stadium.
For French authorities, cleaning the river is one of the major challenges of the Games, and could also become part of the Games' legacy. The Seine has been unsafe to swim in for more than a century because it collects runoff from Paris' antiquated sewage system, where rainwater flows through the same pipes as the city's sewage. Severe or sudden storms cause flooding, with both rainwater and sewage flowing into the Seine.
Government officials hope to address the problem, including by building giant runoff tanks to collect and treat runoff from sewage systems before it reaches the river. Ile-de-France authorities said in a letter that the tank will be able to store 13.2 million gallons of runoff water and is expected to be in use by next month.
If all goes according to plan, parts of the Seine will not only be suitable for Olympic competitions, but also be used as public baths from 2025 onwards, officials say. French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo are among senior government officials who have pledged to swim in the river to show that it is safe.
But despite the French government's efforts, some athletes remain concerned.
“I know what the Pont Alexandre III (bridge) and the Eiffel Tower represent, but I think the health of the athletes must come first,” said the Brazilian, who will represent Brazil in open water swimming at the 2021 Olympics. said Ana Marcela Cunha, who won the gold medal. Olympique told Agence France-Presse last month.
“Organizers must accept that, unfortunately, it will probably not be possible to hold the event in their desired location.”
Organizers say they are prepared to postpone triathlon and open water swimming events in the event of severe storms or dangerous water conditions, but there are no plans to move events from the Seine.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
