Paris Mayor Dives Into Seine, Proves Olympic Waters Ready

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the River Seine to demonstrate its cleanliness ahead of the Olympic swimming events. Accompanied by Tony Estanguet, she expressed confidence in the water quality after multiple delays caused by rain. The city has made significant efforts to prepare the river for the events.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo finally swam in the River Seine on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise to convince doubters that its waters will be clean enough for Olympic swimming events.

Hidalgo took the plunge at around 10 a.m. on a sunny summer day in Paris, with visitors crowding nearby bridges to witness the moment after several postponements due to heavy rain and water quality concerns. Clad in a wetsuit and goggles, Hidalgo was joined in the Seine by Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris Olympics Organising Committee, among others. She paddled before swimming front crawl with her face in the water.

'We have worked very, very hard and then you go down into the water and it seems natural,' Hidalgo said post-swim. 'The water is very, very good, a little bit cool.' The triathlon and marathon swimming events, part of the Olympics from July 26 to August 11, are planned to be held in the Seine.

According to a July 12 water quality bulletin by Eau de Paris, the Seine's water would be swimmable for six out of seven days at the Olympic sites. Decisions on running the events will be made the night before and early morning by a technical committee including athletes, international federations, regional authorities, and Meteo France.

'The first athletes are arriving tomorrow, and so this is a very important message that, finally, the Seine is swimmable, and the triathlon and swimming events can be held here,' Estanguet said. Paris has been working on cleaning up the Seine, recalling the 1900 Paris Olympics when people swam in it. Former Mayor Jacques Chirac once promised to swim in the Seine in 1988, but it never happened.

The city built a massive 46,000 cubic meter storage basin to treat waste water before it enters the Seine. If the river is unsuitable, contingency plans include holding the marathon swim at Vaires-sur-Marne and converting the triathlon into a duathlon.

Tourist Jenn Fluet from New York called Hidalgo brave but dismissed the idea of swimming in the Seine herself. Quentin Mazars, a swimming club member, joined Hidalgo but noted he 'was careful not to swallow any water.' Outdoor swimmer Pierre Suzeau emerged energized from his dip, expressing hope that the Seine will be swimmable soon.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra had already tested the water with a swim on Saturday.