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French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris have announced plans for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a French charity warned that pollution in the Seine River has reached “alarming levels” amid a decades-long clean-up campaign. Some swimming competitions may be canceled or postponed, officials have announced. Mayor Ann Hidalgo insisted the river would be clean by the event.
Public swimming in the city's rivers has been banned for more than a century due to concerns such as: … [+]
important facts
Between September and March, Surfrider Foundation Europe completed 14 tests on water samples taken from two locations on the Seine River, including the starting points for the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon and marathon swimming events, both of which were carried out in Europe. The group said it did not meet the coalition's regulations.
The group said only one spot did not detect alarming levels of bacteria, including E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis, a bacteria found in human faeces.
Paris organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said on Tuesday that officials were “confident that the use of the Seine is possible” but that a “final decision not to swim” could be made. He specifically mentioned the following scenarios: Heavy rains can increase E. coli levels in streams.
The International Olympic Committee said in a statement to NBC News that if the river water becomes too contaminated, the triathlon could be canceled or changed to a running and cycling-only duathlon.
What to watch out for
Paris' deputy mayor for the Olympics, Pierre Rabadin, told the New York Times that if it rained in Paris “for a week before the race,” the water quality in the Seine “would probably not be as good.”
chief critic
Brazilian Ana Marcela Cunha, who won gold in the women's 10-kilometre marathon swim at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, told Agence France-Presse that she was “concerned” about the pollution of the Seine. Olympic officials “need a plan B in case you can't swim in the Seine,” Cunha said, adding that the river “was not made for swimming.”
Contra
Macron and Hidalgo said they would personally swim in the Seine to showcase the city's efforts to clean it. President Macron said the inclusion of the Seine as an event would be an “important legacy” of the Olympics.
big number
1.5 billion dollars. That's the amount the city of Paris has spent in its decades-long effort to clean the Seine for public use, including projects to upgrade the city's sewage system and stormwater treatment facilities.
amazing facts
Swimming's world governing body, World Aquatics, canceled the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris last year after authorities deemed water quality in the Seine River “below acceptable standards to protect the health of swimmers.” The group said it was clear that “further work” was needed to “ensure that robust contingency plans are in place” for the Olympics.
Main background
According to the BBC, public swimming in the Seine has been prohibited since 1923 after authorities deemed the water unsafe. Paris operates on a “single system” drainage infrastructure, which becomes oversaturated during heavy rains and excess water is drained into rivers. Paris city officials said cleaning efforts, along with upgrading sewage and sanitation systems, will allow the city to open three outdoor swimming holes by 2025.
References
The Paris Olympics need a “Plan B” for the Seine River Games, swimming champion says (AFP)
Why Nike's women's Olympic uniforms drew sexism claims and criticism from athletes (forbes)
