PARIS (AP) — A 75-year-old American swimmer took the plunge into the Seine River on Thursday, braving the murky waters in central Paris to celebrate the Fourth of July and highlight the French government’s efforts to clean up the river for the Olympic Games.
It had good timing: Hours later, regional authorities released data showing the river’s water quality had improved over the past week, raising hopes that it could host Olympic swimming events after all.
Joel Stratte McClure, who last swam the Seine in 1976 for a magazine cover shoot and turns 76 this month, said he was impressed with the progress made in cleaning the riverbut there were still concerns about his safety.
“I may regret swimming,” McClure said before entering the water. “But if I come back alive, I will prove that the French have done a good job of cleaning up the river.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had initially planned swimming in the Seine last month to demonstrate its cleanliness, prompting an online campaign by its many critics who threatened to defecate in the river on the day of its dip.
But she postponed the swim after President Emmanuel Macron announced early legislative elections that have plunged France into political tensions and overshadowed pre-Olympic excitement for many. Heavy rains in recent months have also meant faster currents than usual for this time of year, and Hidalgo says she will swim the river in mid-July.
“I think the president called a new election to avoid swimming in the Seine,” McClure joked.
After a short swim, he declared the water “fantastic” and expressed hope that others would follow his example and take advantage of the cleaner river.
Swimming marathons and triathlons are scheduled to be held on the river near the Pont Alexandre III during the Olympic Games, which will take place from 26 July to 11 August, and the Paralympic Games, which will take place from 28 August to 8 September.
Dangerous levels of E. coli Last week they were found in the river for the third week in a row, but on Thursday regional authorities published new results showing an improvement.
Test results by the Eau de Paris monitoring group show that for all but one day from June 26 to July 2, pollution levels were below the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres set by the World Triathlon Federation for competitions.
French officials remain optimistic, insisting there is no Plan B for Olympic open water swimming events.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paris-2024-olympics