The mayor of Paris swam in the Seine before the Paralympic Games

An Hidalgo bathed in the Seine for the first time on July 17, nine days before the start of the Olympic Games, more than a hundred years since swimming in the river was banned due to pollution. In total, the state and local authorities have invested 1,4 billion euros since 2016 to enable swimming in the Seine and the Marne, its main tributary

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An Hidalgo in the Seine before the Olympic Games, Photo: Reuters
An Hidalgo in the Seine before the Olympic Games, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, swam in the Seine again today, as before the Olympic Games, this time ahead of the opening of the Paralympic Games and paratriathlon competitions, which will take place on Sunday.

She did it this time as well because of doubts about the correctness of the Seine water.

In the video published today on Instagram, you can see her smiling, bathing under the sunny sky in the center of the capital, accompanied by dozens of people in the water.

"From next year, swimming in the Seine will become a must-do for the Parisian summer," she wrote in a message alongside the clip, reiterating her promise to make the river swimmable for everyone in the summer of 2025.

The place where the bath should be is one of the three baths in the Sena.

The decontamination of the Seine was one of the pillars of Paris' bid for the Olympic Games and one of the parts of the "Olympic legacy" that the organizers praised.

Ann Hidalgo bathed in the Seine for the first time on July 17, nine days before the start of the Olympic Games, keeping her promise in front of journalists from around the world, more than a hundred years since swimming in the river was banned due to pollution.

In total, the state and local authorities have invested 1,4 billion euros since 2016 to enable swimming in the Seine and the Marne, its main tributary.

However, on July 30, the men's triathlon was postponed by one day for "health reasons" as the water in the Seine was still too polluted, especially after heavy rain.

Like the Olympians before them, the Paralympians will head to the Seine for the paratriathlon swimming competition on September 1 and 2.

The race will take place on a 750-meter loop starting from the Alexander the Third Bridge and passing under the Palace of Invalids bridge.

A week after the Olympic Games, the organizers pointed out that "the water quality is in accordance with the standards for swimming in almost all points" which was written in a joint press release of the Prefecture of Ile-de-France, the City of Paris and the Organizing Committee of the Games.

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