Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo has again committed to swim in the Seine ahead of the Olympic Games to demonstrate that it is safe for competition at the Olympic Games. Her comments on French radio on Wednesday come amid improving water quality conditions and finally acknowledging that there is a Plan B for open water swimming events (but not the triathlon) if the Seine is unsafe for swimming on race day.
Hidalgo, along with recently re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron, have been talking about swimming in the Seine for months after a 1.4 billion Euro (1.5 billion USD) clean-up plan. Heavy rains and limited sunshine have contributed to high levels of harmful bacteria in the river, which is the outlet for Paris’ combined sewer system, but last week showed levels in the acceptable range for the first time.
Hidalgo insured the interviewer that the river would be “depolluted” by then.
Clip below:
.@Anne_Hidalgo assure qu’elle va bien plonger dans la Seine “la semaine prochaine” #le69Inter pic.twitter.com/3gu865l3OM
— France Inter (@franceinter) July 10, 2024
Macron has not yet renewed his commitment to swim in the Seine.
Locals have threatened to protest the project by defecating in the river ahead of previous scheduled swims by Hidalgo, though so far it doesn’t appear that those protests have materialized, being postponed with each postponement of the swim.
Mayor enters river.
Odd looking fellows on shore:
Fetchez la vache!
Quoi?
Fetchez la vache!
Mayor forced to leave river hasitly.
Odd looking fellows on shore:
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
European women (who aren’t active swimmers) generally don’t put their heads under water in open bodies of water. Let’s not all have a cow on this one. I completely respect what she’s doing.
Yeah but… the athletes who will have to swim in the Seine WILL have to put their heads underwater. If it’s about proving it’s “safe” for them, she should as well.
#shitintheseine
I feel like this is the beginning of a Marvel villain origin story. Mayor jumps into river to prove a point, hijinks ensue, then we have a poop monster.
living here in paris right now the speed of the seine is a bigger threat than the poop.
Thanks for an update, this plays into the hands of someone like Rasovszky who may not have the cleanest stroke but certainly amongst the physically strongest of competitors.
Is it wavy?
She better make sure her shots are up to date and her house is stocked with Pedialyte and Immodium! And she better make sure she doesn’t have any broken skin.
She won’t even get her head wet.
Are the athletes expected to train in that petri dish, and risk getting sick before their races?
Anyone remember when Y2K, killer bees, KILLER BEES, or Halloween candy with needles in it.
The river will be fine. When it rains, it registers high on bacteria, like any other fresh water environment.
this isn’t any other freshwater environment though, it’s a millennia of literal human fecal matter plus whatever overflowed from the sewer because yeah they didn’t even fix that…
And COVID magically went away.
My advice to the mayor: if you see anything in the water that looks like a chocolate bar minus its wrapper, DON’T eat it.
Call in Bill Murray!! He’ll get it done!
Carl Spackler- “It’s okay!”
Dooodie!
It’s no big deal.
But if you see something that looks like a chocolate bar IN ITS WRAPPER, chomp away.