Just under 500 days from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the triathlon course was unveiled on Thursday April 27. Participants will have to throw themselves into the Seine. However, the river has been prohibited for swimming since 1923, a rule that will therefore change.
Of all the Olympic promises, this is one of the most spectacular: the return of swimming in the Seine. First, the athletes in 2024, long-distance swimmers and triathletes under the Alexandre III bridge, then the general public the following year. Paris wants to take a dip in the past. Back to before 1923 and the ban on swimming in the river. If swimming is currently impossible, it is because of pollution.
Surface waste and bacteria
When young canoe athletes put their heads under water in the Seine, the health authorities recommend a soapy shower to avoid skin problems. However, at the idea of swimming in the river after the Olympics, everyone is enthusiastic. More than the waste on the surface, it is the bacteria that come from feces that are the problem. But according to samplers, enormous progress has been made over the past 30 years.
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