France undertook a long and costly effort to clean up the Seine to host Olympic swimming competitions.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo is seen swimming in the river Seine on July 17. Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images France 's long and costly effort to clean up the Seine in order to host swimming competitions during the Games had become an ongoing and disappointing saga.Hidalgo was joined on her dip by Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, and other officials.
Last weekend, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra became the first major French official to swim in the Seine, per theSwimming in the Seine had been banned since 1923 due to the river's pollution levels. Over the past few years, the Seine has undergone a a $1.5 billion cleanup effort in preparation for the Olympics. The first swimming events are set to take place in the river on July 30.
However, rain can quickly cause bacteria levels in the Seine to spike. If that happens shortly before the events, they'll either be postponed or moved to another site, perBack in the 1990s, then-Mayor Jacques Chirac similarly promised to clean up the Seine for swimming, but it never came to pass. "Jacques Chirac dreamt it, Anne Hidalgo did it! A promise made, a promise kept. It will be a wonderful legacy for Parisians," Anouch Toranian, deputy mayor of Paris,Share on twitter
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