August 6th 2023.
The Seine river is due to play a major role at the 2024 Paris Olympics. An extensive €1.4billion clean-up operation is in progress to ensure it can host triathlon and swimming events. However, a test event held this weekend at the Seine was cancelled due to heavy rainfall in Paris, which caused water quality to drop below health standards.
This has raised serious question marks over the suitability of the Seine for next summer's Olympic Games. Swimming has been banned in the Seine since 1923 due to the poor quality of the water, so this weekend's Open Water Swimming World Cup was due to be the first major event held there in a century.
World Aquatics have since released a statement, expressing their disappointment. The statement reads, "World Aquatics is disappointed that water quality in the Seine has resulted in the cancellation of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup, but the health of our athletes must always be our top priority."
Samples collected from the Seine showed that the water was too polluted, prompting World Aquatics to say that "further work is needed with Paris 2024 and local authorities to ensure robust contingency plans are in place for next year".
The main cause of the pollution is the Parisian sewage system overflowing into the river with fecal bacteria E.coli and Enterococcus due to heavy rain. To help prevent contamination going forward, a new underground overflow basin is currently being built and is expected to be completed before the Olympics.
Organisers will be hoping for more favourable weather over the next fortnight, with another test event – this time the triathlon – scheduled for August 16 to 20. Let's hope the Seine is ready in time for next summer's Olympics, as the prospect of city-centre Olympic racing for the world’s best open water swimmers sounds exciting!
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