The Seine River is one of the most talked about elements of the Olympics. Open-water swimmers and triathletes were forced to swim in a body of water that is absolutely filthy and riddled with bacteria.
However, that is a problem specific to Paris.
As it would turn out, the dirty, E. coli-infested river is actually quite beautiful and clean in other parts of the country. It essentially becomes a drainage basin by the time it reaches city limits. Pollution levels increase exponentially when the Seine flows through Paris toward the English Channel.
To make matters worse, literal feces leaks into the basin— which created issues for the Olympics.
Infrastructure in Paris is unable to handle heavy rains, which overwhelms the sewage system. The drainage pours into the Seine and creates unsafe amounts of bacteria in the water. It has been illegal to swim in the Seine for more than a century as a result.
France spent $1.5 billion on cleanup efforts. They worked to a very minimal extent. High levels of E. coli caused all kinds of problems throughout the triathlon and swimming marathons even though it used to be much worse.
Swimmers also had to dodge unidentified “brown things” in the water during competition after the Olympics decided to push forward despite questionable safety. Some of them got sick.
Even though the events were held (mostly) as scheduled, the circumstances were still not great and the athletes felt like puppets caught in a much larger political scheme.
Meanwhile, the Seine is a true river — not just a basin — with actual clean water in other parts of France. It originates near Dijon in the Burgundy region, where scenes are picturesque. Locals won’t stand for the slander!
All of this goes to say that the problems with the Seine are specific to Paris. France spent a small fortune to try and clean it up for the Olympics but largely failed. And for what?! It wasn’t even that cool…