A planned swim in the Seine by French Mayor Anne Hidalgo that was scheduled for Sunday, June 23rd, will “probably be postponed,” local media is reporting after speaking to city officials.
“Due to the heavy rains in May and the very strong flow of the river, swimming on June 23 will probably be postponed ,” the City told AFP .
The city says that Hidalgo, along with police chief Laurent Nuñez and regional prefect Marc Guillaume, are now likely targeting a June 30 date for their swim, designed to prove that the river is safe for the four Olympic or Paralympic events scheduled to be competed there in the heart of the city.
The opening ceremony will see athletes on boats, while the open water swimming and the swimming portions of the Olympic triathlon and the Paralympic para-triathlon will be swum there as well.
Heavy rains in the month of May has resulted in a high water flows, which brings both dangerous currents and possible contaminants.
The French open water team with National Director of open water swimming Stéphane Lecat citing a “crazy current” rather than concerns over contamination as the reason. He said he is “not worried” about the venue’s availability for the Olympics, which is now about 10 weeks away.
Water flows have been four-to-five times faster than normal after the rainfall. Rainfall also brings untreated water from runoff, with an unusually-wet winter and lack of bacteria-killing sunshine all contributing to the water quality problems.
On June 1, a wastewater retention basin was installed to attempt to capture runoff and sewage water before it enters the Seine, giving officials the opportunity to treat it before it is released into the river. Samples have been taken daily upriver from the competition site at the Pont Alexandre III.
The tank is part of a 1.4 billion Euro ($1.5 billion) plan to clean up the Seine both for the Games and for the general public.
After the Olympics, in summer 2025, three swimming areas are supposed to be open to the public: the Bras Marie between the Marais and Ile Saint-Louis; the Quai de Bercy; and the Bras de Grenelle near the Eiffel Tower.
French President Emmanuel Macron also committed to swim in the Seine.
