PARIS (Reuters) – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo finally swam in the Seine on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise to convince doubters that its waters are clean enough to host Olympic swimming events.
Hidalgo took the plunge at about 10 a.m. on a gorgeous summer day in Paris, after several postponements due to heavy rain and concerns about water quality, as tourists flocked to a nearby bridge hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
Clad in a wetsuit and goggles, Hidalgo took to the Seine with Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympic Organising Committee, and others. She first paddled, then dipped her face in the water and swam the crawl stroke.
“We practiced so hard and then when we got in the water it just felt natural,” Hidalgo said after the swim. “The water is so, so nice, even though it's a little bit cold.”
The Olympic triathlon and marathon swimming events, which run from July 26 to August 11, are set to take place on the Seine.
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The latest Seine Water Quality Bulletin, dated July 12th, stated that based on water analysis of the Hauts-de-Paris, water quality will be suitable for swimming at the Olympic swimming venues for six out of seven days.
The decision on whether an Olympic event will go ahead is made the night before or early on the morning of the event by a technical committee that includes athletes, international federations, regional authorities and Meteo-France.
“The first athletes are arriving tomorrow. It sends a very important message that the Seine is finally swimmable and that triathlons and swimming events can take place here,” Estanguett said.
Paris is working to clean up the Seine so that people can once again swim in it, as they did during the 1900 Olympics. Former Paris mayor Jacques Chirac promised to swim in the Seine “in front of witnesses” in 1988, but never got around to it.
The city built a huge reservoir that can hold 46,000 cubic meters of wastewater before it flows through a tunnel to a treatment plant. Once the wastewater meets sanitary standards, it is released into the Seine.
If the river is deemed unsuitable, organisers have alternative plans: the marathon swimming will take place in Vers-sur-Marne, where the rowing and canoeing events will take place, and the triathlon will be changed to a duathlon.
Jenn Fluet, a 21-year-old tourist from New York, said Hidalgo was brave and, when asked if she would try it herself, said, “No way! It's dirty.”
“We were careful not to swallow the water,” said Quentin Mazars, 33, a swimming club member who joined Hidalgo in the Seine.
Pierre Souzeau, 66, a member of an outdoor swimming group, emerged from his swim full of energy.
“I'm very happy that urban swimming is finally a reality,” he said. “I hope that all of the Seine and its canals will soon be swimmable.”
France's Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castellas had already swam in the river on Saturday.
