Are the Paris Olympics Going in Seine or Not?
What’s stopping everything from going swimmingly? Ahead of the July 26 opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, there are still concerns that the Seine won’t be safe enough for the athletes who are supposed to dive into the river for the marathon swimming and triathlon events. If Paris officials are to be believed, costly cleanup efforts will have sufficiently mitigated health risks posed by bacteria and pollution by the time the competitions start — and after that, too, since the plan is ultimately for the river with a murky reputation to open three public bathing sites by next summer. Paris’s mayor has even promised to swim in the river herself as soon as next week. Below, here’s the latest you need to know on how cleanup is going, why you may have heard about a poop protest, and whether there’s a backup plan for this year’s Olympians.
How safe is the river now?
It seems to depend on the weather. Per Reuters, data published by local authorities on E. Coli bacteria levels in the Seine showed that the river was suitable for swimming six out of nine days between June 24 and July 2. Heavy rainfall can cause wastewater from Paris’s 19th-century sewage system to spill into the Seine. CNN reports that on June 30, following rain the day before, E. Coli levels in the Seine rose to double the acceptable level by World Triathlon standards.
The Seine has had worse stats — official testing by the city of Paris reportedly showed that the river had above-acceptable levels of bacteria 22 out of 30 days between June 3 and July 2, including one rainy day that reached 10 times the acceptable level. (Per World Triathlon rules, unless the organization’s medical committee decides otherwise, the swimming leg of the triathlon must be canceled if E. Coli levels are above acceptable.)
Is the mayor of Paris really going for a swim?
In an apparent effort to prove that the Seine is clean enough, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has promised to test the waters and go for a dip in the Seine herself. Hidalgo previously postponed a swim scheduled for June 23, but has now hinted at a new date. According to CNN, Hidalgo said in a French radio interview on July 10 that she would “dive in next week” and the water would be “depolluted, that’s for sure.” Hmm, but will she follow through even if there’s another threat of a poop protest?
Wait, what’s this about a poop protest?
Sky News reported last month that more than 1.4 billion euros (about $1.5 billion dollars) have been spent trying to clean up the Seine. Not all Parisians are happy with the costly effort, arguing that the money would be better spent elsewhere. So when Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and French president Emmanuel Macron both said they’d go for a dip in the Seine on June 23, some people wanted to quite literally shit on their plans.
A website encouraged people to poop in the river where fecal matter is already a concern, with some social media users declaring their intentions under the hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin (I shit in the Seine on June 23). However, no mass defecation ultimately occurred, perhaps because the political leaders changed their plans: Mayor Hidalgo said she would delay her swim in the Seine until after the French elections in July, while President Macron has yet to announce a new date.
Is there a backup plan for the Olympians?
Oui. A Paris 2024 spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that there are “a number of contingency plans including options for postponing the events,” adding that the “final resort” for the triathlon events would be to just make them duathlons and remove the swimming part. Of course, you can’t exactly take the swimming out of marathon swimming, so there’s a different backup in place for that event. A Paris 2024 spokesperson told Reuters that if necessary, Olympic marathon swimmers could be moved to Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, which is just outside of Paris and will already be used for the rowing and canoeing events.
We just hope that the athletes are safe! As viewers, we don’t want to watch the Olympics and have to worry that the competitors might accidentally be swallowing some poopy water. That’s just shitty TV.
Related