French sports minister takes a dip in the Seine ahead of Paris Olympics

PARIS — French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a symbolic dip in the Seine on Saturday in a bid to ease concerns about water quality before the start of the Paris Olympics.

Oudéa-Castéra, dressed in a body suit dove into the famous river after an initial slip and swam a few meters near the Alexandre III bridge, where the Olympic open water swimming competition will be held.

“We held our promise,” she said to BFMTV, referring to an earlier pledge to swim in the Seine before the Games begin on July 26.

She was accompanied by Alexis Hanquinquant, the Paralympic flag bearer for France.

Ever since swimming in the Seine was banned in 1923 due to pollution levels, French politicians have promised to make the river swimmable again. Former Paris mayor and later president Jacques Chirac famously vowed in 1988 that the river would be clean enough to swim in by the end of his term, a promise that went unfulfilled.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also plans to swim in the Seine to prove its cleanliness.

In February, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to take a dip, too. But he added: “I’m not going to give you the date: There’s a risk you’ll be there.”

Hanquinquant, a para-triathlete, joined Oudéa-Castéra in Saturday’s swim, experiencing firsthand the conditions he will face in competition on Sept. 1.

If water quality issues arise, organizers have backup plans.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games