The mayor of Paris’s pre-Olympic swim in the Seine “probably postponed”

Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff Agence France-Presse Star of these Olympics, the Seine must host the opening ceremony as well as the triathlon, swimming-marathon and paratriathlon events, but suspense remains over the holding of the Olympic events.

France Media Agency in Paris

Published yesterday at 12:51 p.m. Updated yesterday at 8:39 p.m.

• Europe

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's swim in the Seine, initially planned for Sunday June 23, before the Olympic Games, will “probably be postponed” due in particular to a high flow of water, we learned from the City on Friday. The Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11.

“Due to the heavy rains in May and the very high flow of the river, the June 23 swim will probably be postponed,” the city told AFP.

The star of these Olympic Games, the Seine will host the opening ceremony as well as the triathlon, marathon swimming and paratriathlon events.

But with seven weeks to go before the Games, the suspense remains over the holding of the Olympic events since the “test events” in August, which had to be largely cancelled: the water quality did not meet European standards based on two fecal bacteria, Escherichia coli and enterococci. Plan B is to postpone the exams for a few days, but not to change the venue.

In addition to the flow measured at the beginning of June, four to five times faster than expected, making swimming dangerous, the volume of precipitation since November and the absence of sunlight, which kills bacteria, have an impact on water quality. .

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The most likely postponement date for the socialist mayor's swim is Sunday June 30.

The French swimming team in open water, who planned to train in the Seine on Monday June 10, will not do so.

Since June 1 and the commissioning two days earlier of a rainwater and wastewater retention basin, with a capacity of 50,000 m3, daily samples have been taken upstream of the Olympic site. In the event of intense precipitation, untreated water — a mixture of rain and wastewater — can be released into the river, a phenomenon that retention structures are intended to prevent.

Diving into the Seine in summer is one of the greatest benefits expected from these Games for the population.

Three swimming areas must open to the public in the summer of 2025 in Paris: the Bras Marie, located between the Marais and the Île Saint-Louis, the Quai de Bercy and the Bras de Grenelle, not far from the Eiffel Tower.