With less than two months before the scheduled swimming competitions in the Seine River during the Paris Olympics, test results have shown unsafe elevated levels of E. coli. The contamination levels in the first eight days of June exceeded safe limits for athletes, with bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci present in the water. Despite these findings, a senior International Olympic Committee executive stated that there were no reasons to doubt that races would go ahead as scheduled in a historic downtown stretch of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.
The first Olympic event set to take place in the Seine is the men’s triathlon, which includes a 1.5-kilometer swim on July 30. This will be followed by the women’s triathlon the next day and a mixed relay event on August 5. Marathon swimming races for both women and men over 10 kilometers are scheduled for August 8 and 9, respectively. These events are planned to be held in waters that were historically polluted before a significant investment of $1.5 billion was made ahead of the Olympics.
Despite the expressed confidence of the IOC, the final decision on approving the safety of the events for athletes should be determined by the governing bodies of individual sports, World Aquatics and World Triathlon. The safety of the Seine water has been in doubt since some test events scheduled last August were canceled due to heavy rains. Test results from June showed that while enterococci levels mostly stayed within safe limits, E. coli levels frequently exceeded thresholds set by European standards, indicating a need for improved water quality.
Water quality in major cities can be impacted by various factors such as runoff, chemical dumping, and boat traffic. Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, had promised to take a swim in the river before the competition, but postponed it until after the snap elections in France, which end on July 7. The city has taken steps to address water contamination issues, including the inauguration of a wastewater and rainwater storage basin in May to help make the Seine swimmable during the Olympic Games.
Efforts to improve the water quality of the Seine have shown some progress, with test results indicating an improvement from high contamination levels on June 1 to more acceptable levels by June 9. This improvement was attributed to better weather conditions and the inauguration of a massive reservoir capable of storing excess rainwater during heavy rainfall. As preparations continue for the upcoming Olympic events in Paris, the focus remains on ensuring the safety of the athletes participating in the swimming competitions in the Seine River.
