Paris Mayor Swims in the Seine to Prove It’s Clean for the Olympics

Swimming was banned in the Seine in 1923, but bleachers now line the river to make the Seine the center of a citywide stadium.

After months of anticipation, a smiling Anne Hidalgo fulfilled a promise to show the Seine was clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics.

Nine days before the opening ceremony on July 17, the 65-year-old mayor of Paris took to the cleaned-up waters of the river to take a swim. Clad in a wetsuit and goggles, she plunged into the river near Paris’ imposing City Hall, her office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

She was followed into the water by Paris 2024 Olympic President and former canoeist Tony Estanguet, as well as Marc Guillaume, the top government official for the Paris region. Guillaume is responsible for the safety and traffic on the famous Parisienne waterway, which will be at the center of the opening ceremony.

“The water is wonderful,” Hidalgo told NBC News after she emerged from the water, adding that it was “very cool and very nice.”

Estanguet added that it was a “very important milestone because it’s the confirmation that we are ready for the Games.”

“The Seine quality is perfect,” he said of the murky waters. He added that it sent a message to the athletes that they should enjoy the Games.

A vast engineering project, costing some $1.5 billion over the past several years, has restricted the flow of sewage and industrial waste into the Seine.

The project was done to get the long-polluted river clean enough for several Olympic events — including the triathlon and two 10-kilometer swimming events — to be held in it and for the opening ceremony involving a flotilla of boats carrying thousands of athletes to take place on it.