Paris is set to open the 2024 Olympics in less than a month but sewage continues cast doubt on the open-water swim events that are supposed to be held in The Seine. Fortunately, there is finally a backup plan in place if the contaminated poop water doesn’t subside.
It took long enough!
As things currently stand, Paris expects to hold the triathlon and marathon swimming events in the famed river that runs through the city— even though it’s technically a drainage basin. There is only one pretty major problem. Unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria was detected in the water as recently as last week.
What happens, on its most simple level, is this:
- The Seine runs 483 miles from Dijon, through Paris, and into the English Channel.
- Paris’ sewage system is extremely old.
- When heavy rain strikes the region for an extended period of time, the sewage system can’t keep up.
- The pipes leak as a result.
- When the pipes leak, the overflow sewage water drains into the Seine.
- Fecal matter contains bacteria.
- Swimming in bacteria-laced water
canwill make you very sick.
It has been illegal to swim in the Seine for more than 110 years because of the bacteria. France spent approximately $1.5 billion to make it swimmable for the Olympics. Success has yet to be obtained.
E. coli levels were 10 times higher than they need to be as of June. President Emmanuel Macron and mayor Anne Hidalgo vowed to swim in the Seine to prove that it’s safe. They continue to push back their swim because, well, it’s not safe.
Although the Olympics committee continues to insist that the Seine will be swimmable in a few weeks, doubt is clearly starting to creep in. There wasn’t a backup plan until recently, which indicates some panic.
The triathlon and swim marathon are scheduled to take place near the Alexander III bridge between July 30 and Aug. 5. They could be postponed by a few days if conditions are unsafe.
Should the postponement not work, the triathlon will be changed to a duathlon— biking and running only. The marathon swimming competition will be relocated to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, which is about 20 miles east of Paris.
While there is a plan in place, organizers reiterated that conditions of the Seine are improving and will be ready to swim. Time will tell!