Latest news with #SeineSwimming
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Paris opens river Seine for public swimming for first time since 1923
By Manuel Ausloos PARIS (Reuters) -Parisians rushed for a dip in the Seine on Saturday as authorities opened the river to public swimming for the first time since 1923 after an extensive clean-up operation spurred on by it being used last year as a venue in the Paris Olympics. Three sites along the banks of the Seine in the city will be able to welcome over 1,000 swimmers daily until August 31, local officials said, to the delight of the Parisians and visitors who were among the first to take the plunge. "Really nice, I'm impressed, surprised," said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris. "I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower." "The water is clean, it's warm, it's clear. There is a bit of algae, but that's normal," said 51-year-old Karine. "Come here everybody, it's great!." The reopening of the Seine for public swimming follows efforts by authorities to improve its water quality so it could be used for Olympic events last summer. Investments included connecting tens of thousands of homes to the sewer system, upgrading water treatment facilities, and constructing large rainwater storage reservoirs to prevent sewer overflow during heavy storms. While delays, triggered by the health impact of heavy rains, impacted some Olympic training sessions and the men's triathlon event, competitions in the Seine eventually went ahead, bolstering confidence in the river's safety for public swimming. Daily water quality tests will be conducted during the swimming season, with green and red flags - similar to beach safety systems - indicating whether swimming areas are open or closed. "It's wonderful," said John Drummond, a 54-year-old visitor from Canada. "It's great for the environment, it's great for the city, it's great for the people that live here. So very good initiative." As well as the three sites within Paris, 14 swimming areas outside the capital's boundaries will be set up on the Seine and the Marne rivers. Two of those already opened on the Marne in June.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Paris opens river Seine for public swimming for first time since 1923
By Manuel Ausloos PARIS (Reuters) -Parisians rushed for a dip in the Seine on Saturday as authorities opened the river to public swimming for the first time since 1923 after an extensive clean-up operation spurred on by it being used last year as a venue in the Paris Olympics. Three sites along the banks of the Seine in the city will be able to welcome over 1,000 swimmers daily until August 31, local officials said, to the delight of the Parisians and visitors who were among the first to take the plunge. "Really nice, I'm impressed, surprised," said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris. "I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower." "The water is clean, it's warm, it's clear. There is a bit of algae, but that's normal," said 51-year-old Karine. "Come here everybody, it's great!." The reopening of the Seine for public swimming follows efforts by authorities to improve its water quality so it could be used for Olympic events last summer. Investments included connecting tens of thousands of homes to the sewer system, upgrading water treatment facilities, and constructing large rainwater storage reservoirs to prevent sewer overflow during heavy storms. While delays, triggered by the health impact of heavy rains, impacted some Olympic training sessions and the men's triathlon event, competitions in the Seine eventually went ahead, bolstering confidence in the river's safety for public swimming. Daily water quality tests will be conducted during the swimming season, with green and red flags - similar to beach safety systems - indicating whether swimming areas are open or closed. "It's wonderful," said John Drummond, a 54-year-old visitor from Canada. "It's great for the environment, it's great for the city, it's great for the people that live here. So very good initiative." As well as the three sites within Paris, 14 swimming areas outside the capital's boundaries will be set up on the Seine and the Marne rivers. Two of those already opened on the Marne in June.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Paris opens river Seine for public swimming for first time since 1923
By Manuel Ausloos PARIS (Reuters) -Parisians rushed for a dip in the Seine on Saturday as authorities opened the river to public swimming for the first time since 1923 after an extensive clean-up operation spurred on by it being used last year as a venue in the Paris Olympics. Three sites along the banks of the Seine in the city will be able to welcome over 1,000 swimmers daily until August 31, local officials said, to the delight of the Parisians and visitors who were among the first to take the plunge. "Really nice, I'm impressed, surprised," said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris. "I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower." "The water is clean, it's warm, it's clear. There is a bit of algae, but that's normal," said 51-year-old Karine. "Come here everybody, it's great!." The reopening of the Seine for public swimming follows efforts by authorities to improve its water quality so it could be used for Olympic events last summer. Investments included connecting tens of thousands of homes to the sewer system, upgrading water treatment facilities, and constructing large rainwater storage reservoirs to prevent sewer overflow during heavy storms. While delays, triggered by the health impact of heavy rains, impacted some Olympic training sessions and the men's triathlon event, competitions in the Seine eventually went ahead, bolstering confidence in the river's safety for public swimming. Daily water quality tests will be conducted during the swimming season, with green and red flags - similar to beach safety systems - indicating whether swimming areas are open or closed. "It's wonderful," said John Drummond, a 54-year-old visitor from Canada. "It's great for the environment, it's great for the city, it's great for the people that live here. So very good initiative." As well as the three sites within Paris, 14 swimming areas outside the capital's boundaries will be set up on the Seine and the Marne rivers. Two of those already opened on the Marne in June.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paris reopens Seine River for public swimming
France's capital Paris reopened the Seine River to swimmers on Saturday for the first time in over a century. AFP news agency said dozens of swimmers were present for the opening at 8:00 a.m. (0600 UTC/GMT), diving into the water under the watchful eye of lifeguards. The move is part of the legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics and comes amid sweltering temperatures across Europe, including France's second-warmest June since records began. Paris authorities have created three outdoor pool zones, complete with changing rooms and showers and supervised by lifeguards. The pools are located opposite L'île aux Cygnes (Swan Island) near the Eiffel Tower, close to Notre-Dame Cathedral and opposite the Bibliotheque national de France. The swimming zones also have beach-style furniture, offering space for 150 to 300 people to sunbathe. Access to the pools will be free of charge until August 31st. A statement from the city government said water quality will be continuously monitored. Authorities said lifeguards would assess visitors' swimming abilities, particularly due to strong currents, an average depth of 3.5 meters (11 feet) and boat traffic. Bathing in the Seine was officially banned in 1923, primarily due to health risks from pollution. The river has historically been contaminated with high levels of bacteria, such as E. coli and enterococci, from sewage overflows, industrial discharge, and urban runoff. These pollutants pose significant risks of illness for swimmers, including skin infections and gastrointestinal issues. Additionally, strong currents, boat traffic, and debris in the river create hazardous conditions for bathers. Despite being illegal, swimming was still practised until the early 1960s and there have been several attempts to remove the ban. In 1988, then-Paris mayor and future president Jacques Chirac first advocated for its reversal. Authorities promised ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics that the water in the Seine would be cleaned up to allow athletes to compete in its waters. Around €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) was spent on improving water quality, which officials promised would benefit not just the Olympic athletes but residents and tourists for years to come. A massive underground storage tank was created to hold wastewater and prevent untreated sewage from entering the river during heavy rain. Wastewater treatment plants were also upgraded. During the games, the river hosted the triathlon swimming legs and open water swimming events. However, the swims weren't without controversy, as some athletes fell sick afterward. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has said that cleaning up the Seine for the Olympics was part of a broader effort to adapt the city to climate change and enhance quality of life. "Everyone should be able to swim in the Seine starting this summer," said French Sports Minister Marie Barsacq when the move was announced in May. Ahead of Saturday's launch, French President Emmanuel Macron praised the work undertaken to open the swimming zones, writing on X that it was a "source of pride for the country." L'un de mes prédécesseurs, alors Maire de Paris, a rêvé d'une Seine où chacun pourrait nager. Demain sa promesse sera tenue. C'est un héritage des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques de Paris après 100 ans d'interdiction, un travail collectif, une fierté pour le — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 4, 2025 Edited by: Kieran Burke
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Paris to Allow Swimming in Seine from July in Olympic Legacy
Remember the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics? The fortnight of intense and memorable sporting competition against the background of iconic landmarks amid brilliant sunshine in the French capital, days that will never be forgotten. And the constant uncertainty about whether the River Seine would be clean enough to allow the open water swimming and triathlon events to take place. The organizers set the ambitious goal of staging those events in a river long seen as too polluted for swimming and, despite the occasional hitch when heavy rain increased pollution levels, pulled it off. Now, fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities this summer are to allow the public to swim from July 5 at three points in the Seine which is now deemed safe for a dip. "It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters. "Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life," she added. Parisians and tourists alike will be able to take the plunge at bras Marie in the heart of the historic center, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east. Once a favorite pastime in Paris, swimming in the Seine had been off limits for a century until last year due to the pollution levels. "This summer, Parisians and tourists will rediscover the joys of swimming in the Seine, a hundred years after it was banned," city hall said in a statement. Swimming will be supervised and monitored, said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. The city expects to welcome between 150 and 300 people at any given time at the three sites, which will close for the season at the end of August. As on beaches, a system of flags -- green, yellow and red -- will make clear the safety of swimming according to the Seine's current and the quality of the water. The water quality will be closely watched, after high levels of bacteria forced the postponement of some of the competitions on certain days during the Olympics. Checks will be carried out daily, and swimming may be suspended in the event of rain, said Marc Guillaume, the prefect, the top state-appointed official, of the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris. He expressed "even more optimism" about water quality than last summer, given the work done on making the river cleaner.
