French Sports Minister Takes a Dive into the River Seine | Olympics

To show that the Seine River is unpolluted and fit to host the Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera jumped into the water on Saturday morning. Wearing a swimsuit and a hat, she was accompanied by Alexis Hanquinkant, a professional triathlete who will not compete in the Games.

It was a symbolic dive to demonstrate the quality of the water. The venue will host the Olympic water marathon and triathlon events. In recent weeks, pollution levels have been higher than those allowed for Olympic triathlon and swimming competitions. But this week, local authorities analyzed the water and concluded that conditions were suitable for the event.

Rain has been a major problem in cleaning up pollution in Rio, and Paris has had its wettest start to the year in the past 30 years. Between January and March 2024, the average rainfall in the French capital was 220mm, close to 1995, when it received around 250mm, according to the database on the meteorological website Infoclimat, a record for this time of year.

The most successful project to clean up the Seine was the construction of the d’Austerlitz basin, a large reservoir to contain rainwater and prevent it from mixing with sewage dumped into the river. An investment of around €1.4 billion also aims to create conditions for the general public to dive in the Seine from 2025.