Latest news with #ParisSummerOlympics
NZ Herald
11 hours ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
The famous river will be open to swimmers from early July with three bathing sites
A year on from athletes competing in the River Seine during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, French authorities guarantee the water will be safe for the public to swim in this summer. Parisians and tourists will be able to dive into the river from July 5, weather permitting, according to
Int'l Business Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Int'l Business Times
Paris Makes Clean Water Bet For River Seine Bathers
A year on from athletes competing in the River Seine during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, French authorities guarantee the water will be safe for the public to swim in this summer. Parisians and tourists will be able to dive into the river from July 5, weather permitting, according to authorities. The public will be able to access three bathing sites at bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east. Last year, water treatment stations, holding tanks and connections to the Parisian boat sanitation system were installed. "For the Games, we cleaned up three quarters of the Seine. And the water was 100 percent ready for bathing on dry days," said Marc Guillaume, the prefect for the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris. According to Guillaume, the top state-appointed official for the region, the new bathing zones will be popular. This year, the weather is predicted to be drier than the record rainfall during the Games, which had led to the cancellation of six of the eleven competitions held the river. "It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had told reporters in May. "Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life," she added. Last year, Hidalgo dove into the Seine in front of journalists from around the world before the Games began. The historic swim signalled the end of years of efforts to clean the Seine and the river which flows into it, the Marne. Work had started in the 1990s, with an initial investment of more than nine billion euros (10.4 billion dollars) from the greater Paris sanitation authorities. Following initial efforts, the "bathing plan" leading up to the 2024 Paris Games was launched in 2016. The French state and local authorities had invested another 1.4 billion euros (1.6 billion dollars). The plan was focused on preventing the city's waste waters from flowing into the Seine. The mid-19th century Parisian sewage system often overflows on rainy days, causing rain and waste waters to pour into the river. Flags will inform bathers about pollution levels in the water every day, and if it rains the sites will likely close on the day after, said Paris city official Pierre Rabadan. "We're not tossing a coin, we're relying on scientific data," he said, adding that no athlete had fallen ill after swimming in the river last summer. The presence of the fecal bacteria escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci in the Seine will be assessed daily using live sensors and samples. According to the association France Nature Environment Ile-de-France, the planned tests are "insufficient". There are "many viruses which cannot be tested for" in the Seine, said honorary president of the association Michel Riottot. Swallowing too much water from the river could lead a person to catch hepatitis, gastroenteritis or skin diseases, former research engineer Riottot told AFP. Chemical pollution will not be measured either, added Riottot. "If there is occasional pollution upstream, we will be informed, so we will be able to take necessary measures," said Rabadan. The number of species of fish in the Seine increased from four in 1970 to thirty-six reported in February -- a sign that water sanitation has improved over the years. In early June, the Paris City Council gave legal rights and a personhood status to the Seine to protect its fragile ecosystem, as part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature. Last year, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo dove into the Seine in front of journalists from around over the world before the Games began. AFP Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo bathes in the Seine with then President of the Paris Olympic Committee Tony Estanguet. AFP
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Paris makes clean water bet for River Seine bathers
PARIS: A year on from athletes competing in the River Seine during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, French authorities guarantee the water will be safe for the public to swim in this summer. Parisians and tourists will be able to dive into the river from July 5, weather permitting, according to authorities. The public will be able to access three bathing sites at bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east. Last year, water treatment stations, holding tanks and connections to the Parisian boat sanitation system were installed. 'For the Games, we cleaned up three quarters of the Seine. And the water was 100 percent ready for bathing on dry days,' said Marc Guillaume, the prefect for the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris. According to Guillaume, the top state-appointed official for the region, the new bathing zones will be popular. This year, the weather is predicted to be drier than the record rainfall during the Games, which had led to the cancellation of six of the eleven competitions held the river. 'It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself,' Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had told reporters in May. 'Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life,' she added. - 'Bathing plan' - Last year, Hidalgo dove into the Seine in front of journalists from around the world before the Games began. The historic swim signalled the end of years of efforts to clean the Seine and the river which flows into it, the Marne. Work had started in the 1990s, with an initial investment of more than nine billion euros (10.4 billion dollars) from the greater Paris sanitation authorities. Following initial efforts, the 'bathing plan' leading up to the 2024 Paris Games was launched in 2016. The French state and local authorities had invested another 1.4 billion euros (1.6 billion dollars). The plan was focused on preventing the city's waste waters from flowing into the Seine. The mid-19th century Parisian sewage system often overflows on rainy days, causing rain and waste waters to pour into the river. - 'Insufficient' testing - Flags will inform bathers about pollution levels in the water every day, and if it rains the sites will likely close on the day after, said Paris city official Pierre Rabadan. 'We're not tossing a coin, we're relying on scientific data,' he said, adding that no athlete had fallen ill after swimming in the river last summer. The presence of the fecal bacteria escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci in the Seine will be assessed daily using live sensors and samples. According to the association France Nature Environment Ile-de-France, the planned tests are 'insufficient'. There are 'many viruses which cannot be tested for' in the Seine, said honorary president of the association Michel Riottot. Swallowing too much water from the river could lead a person to catch hepatitis, gastroenteritis or skin diseases, former research engineer Riottot told AFP. Chemical pollution will not be measured either, added Riottot. 'If there is occasional pollution upstream, we will be informed, so we will be able to take necessary measures,' said Rabadan. The number of species of fish in the Seine increased from four in 1970 to thirty-six reported in February -- a sign that water sanitation has improved over the years. In early June, the Paris City Council gave legal rights and a personhood status to the Seine to protect its fragile ecosystem, as part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature.
NDTV
15-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Paris Will Allow Swimming In Seine This Summer, Sticking To Its Olympics Promise. But Conditions Apply
France: Remember the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics? The fortnight of intense and memorable sporting competition against the background of iconic landmarks amid brilliant sunshine in the French capital, days that will never be forgotten. And the constant uncertainty about whether the River Seine would be clean enough to allow the open water swimming and triathlon events to take place. The organisers set the ambitious goal of staging those events in a river long seen as too polluted for swimming and, despite the occasional hitch when heavy rain increased pollution levels, pulled it off. Now, fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities this summer are to allow the public to swim from July 5 at three points in the Seine which is now deemed safe for a dip. "It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters. "Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life," she added. Parisians and tourists alike will be able to take the plunge at bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east. Once a favourite pastime in Paris, swimming in the Seine had been off limits for a century until last year due to the pollution levels. "This summer, Parisians and tourists will rediscover the joys of swimming in the Seine, a hundred years after it was banned," city hall said in a statement. Swimming will be supervised and monitored, said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. The city expects to welcome between 150 and 300 people at any given time at the three sites, which will close for the season at the end of August. As on beaches, a system of flags -- green, yellow and red -- will make clear the safety of swimming according to the Seine's current and the quality of the water. The water quality will be closely watched, after high levels of bacteria forced the postponement of some of the competitions on certain days during the Olympics. Checks will be carried out daily, and swimming may be suspended in the event of rain, said Marc Guillaume, the prefect, the top state-appointed official, of the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris. He expressed "even more optimism" about water quality than last summer, given the work done on making the river cleaner.
NDTV
14-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Paris To Keep Key Olympics Promise, Allow Swimming In Seine From July
Remember the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics? The fortnight of intense and memorable sporting competition against the background of iconic landmarks amid brilliant sunshine in the French capital, days that will never be forgotten. And the constant uncertainty about whether the River Seine would be clean enough to allow the open water swimming and triathlon events to take place. The organisers set the ambitious goal of staging those events in a river long seen as too polluted for swimming and, despite the occasional hitch when heavy rain increased pollution levels, pulled it off. Now, fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities this summer are to allow the public to swim from July 5 at three points in the Seine which is now deemed safe for a dip. "It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters. "Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life," she added. Parisians and tourists alike will be able to take the plunge at bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east. Once a favourite pastime in Paris, swimming in the Seine had been off limits for a century until last year due to the pollution levels. "This summer, Parisians and tourists will rediscover the joys of swimming in the Seine, a hundred years after it was banned," city hall said in a statement. Swimming will be supervised and monitored, said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. The city expects to welcome between 150 and 300 people at any given time at the three sites, which will close for the season at the end of August. As on beaches, a system of flags -- green, yellow and red -- will make clear the safety of swimming according to the Seine's current and the quality of the water. The water quality will be closely watched, after high levels of bacteria forced the postponement of some of the competitions on certain days during the Olympics. Checks will be carried out daily, and swimming may be suspended in the event of rain, said Marc Guillaume, the prefect, the top state-appointed official, of the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris. He expressed "even more optimism" about water quality than last summer, given the work done on making the river cleaner.
