Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday.

Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci beyond limits judged safe for athletes.

The report was published by monitoring group Eau de Paris one day after a senior International Olympic Committee executive said there were “no reasons to doubt” races will go ahead as scheduled in in a historic downtown stretch of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    124·
    13 days ago

    Setting aside the water quality of the Seine, why are they swimming in an unchlorinated body of water in the first place? Has that happened before?

    kagis

    Apparently this is part of a PR campaign for Paris or something, as they had this big push to reduce sewage in it to the point where it could be used for the Olympics. And it sounds like this is the first time that they’re doing it in a river:

    https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/paris-olympics-seine-river-swimming

    Paris’ Seine River, forbidden for swimmers for 100 years, gets Olympic reboot

    By OlympicTalk

    Published April 11, 2023 04:17 AM

    Because as well as hosting outdoor swim races, the Seine is going to be the centerpiece of Paris’ unprecedented Olympic Opening Ceremony. For the first time, it will take place not in a stadium setting but along the river and its banks.

    So it needs to be ready. Officials have been going after homes upstream of Paris and houseboats on the Seine that were emptying their sewage and wastewater directly into the river. An Olympic law adopted in 2018 gave moored boats two years to hook up to Paris’ sewage network. Sewage treatment plants on the Seine and its tributary, the Marne, are also being improved.

    I wonder if they have swimming pools designated for use as backups if this doesn’t work out?

    kagis

    Apparently yes (no for an alternate location, but if the water quality is unacceptable, they plan to just defer the swimming races until it becomes acceptable):

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/sports/olympics/paris-olympics-seine-cleanup.html

    But Rabadan also said there was no alternate plan: If the races must be postponed, organizers will simply wait a few days, test the water quality and try again.

    • ahalEnglish
      5·
      13 days ago

      Certain events like marathon swimming and triathlon can’t be done in a pool.