Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other French officials swam in the Seine on Wednesday, suggesting the river is empty enough to host swimming competitions at the next Olympics after decades of cleanup efforts. Other organizations warned that the river had harmful levels of pollution, sparking local protests.
Eau de Paris, the water company affiliated with the city government, said last month that the Seine had tested harmful levels of E. coli contaminants in four other sections of the river for the third consecutive week, adding a domain that more or less doubles the limit. established through the World Triathlon Federation.
Hidalgo’s workplace responded by saying the river’s water quality “remains degraded” due to “unfavorable” conditions, such as above-average temperatures and rainfall, according to Agence France-Presse.
Surfrider Foundation Europe carried out 14 tests on water samples taken from two points on the Seine, adding up the point from the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon and marathon swimming events, between September and March, none of which complied with European Union regulations, the water charity previously said. . This year.
According to the group, only one place showed alarming levels of bacteria such as E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis, a bacterium discovered in human feces.
In April, Tony Estanguet, chairman of the Paris creation committee, was quoted as saying that while officials were “confident in the Seine option,” there could be a “final resolution where we just don’t swim,” referring in particular to a situation of heavy rainfall, which can lead to a buildup of E levels. coli in the river.
The International Olympic Committee said in a statement to NBC News that the triathlon could be canceled or converted to a duathlon (running and cycling only) if the river water is too contaminated, while organizers have set up another venue outside Paris for a Marathon swimming if necessary.
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Hidalgo, Estanguet and Marc Guillaume, guilty of security and traffic on the Seine, bathed in the river on Wednesday in the company of local bathers. Estanguet told NBC News that swimming was “the confirmation that we are fit to participate in the games,” adding that “the quality of the river is perfect. “French President Emmanuel Macron has said in the past that he would swim in the Seine to show the city’s efforts to plug the river, saying it would be “a vital legacy” of the Olympics if the Seine were included in the events. He did not hint if or when he would swim.
The opening rite of the Olympic Games is scheduled for July 26 and will feature a parade of boats and two festive events on the Seine. The marathon swimming event is also expected to be held in the river, in addition to the triathlon swimming stage. .
Pierre Rabadan, Paris’ deputy mayor in charge of the Olympics, told the New York Times that if it rained in Paris for “a week non-stop before the races,” the Seine’s water quality “would probably be excellent. “
Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil’s gold medallist in the women’s 10-kilometer swimming marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, told Agence France-Presse that there was “concern” about pollutants in the SeineArray. Olympic officials “need a plan B in case it’s not imaginable. “swimming in the Seine,” Cunha said, adding that the river “is not made for swimming. “Some Parisians are said to have staged an “anti-excrement protest,” during which other people defecated en masse in the river to protest against the river’s pollutants. The protest was planned ahead of last month’s swimming in Hidalgo, which included more security personnel, before being postponed.
1. 5 billion dollars. That’s how much Paris has invested in a decades-long effort to clean up the Seine River for public use, including projects to modernize the city’s sewer system and stormwater treatment facilities.
World Aquatics, swimming’s world governing body, canceled the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris last year after the government decided that the Seine’s water quality “remained under appropriate criteria to protect swimmers’ fitness. “that it was “clear that extra work was needed” to “ensure that physically powerful contingency plans are in place” for the Olympics.
Public swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923, after the government decided the water was unsafe, according to the BBC. Paris operates with a “single system” drainage infrastructure that becomes oversaturated with heavy rains, causing excess water to drain into Paris officials said cleanup efforts, in addition to improved sewer systems and sanitation, will allow the city to open three outdoor swimming spaces until 2025.
The Paris Olympic Games must have a “plan B” for the Seine events, says the swimming champion (AFP)
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