Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, along with a clutch of other officials, are set to redeem their pledge to swim in the city’s river to show their faith its safe for Olympic athletes later in the month after massive spending on cleanup.
Hidalgo, accompanied by Olympic committee chief Tony Estanguet and Paris region chief Marc Guillaume set the date after a postponement from June 23 caused by the snap elections for France’s National Assembly. Another official, sports minister Amelie Oudea Castera took a swim last Saturday morning.
Officials have announced that water quality has been up to the required standard for ’11 days or 10 days” out of the past 12. The river is the intended venue for triathlon swimming and a swimming marathon.
After two years of denying there was a Plan B incase the water didn’t pass muster, organizers have now acknowledged that if the water quality isn’t sufficient by the time of the Olympics, the events will be held at a water park that is also the site for Olympic canoe and kayak events.
French officials have spent €1.4 billion to clean up the river, including huge new holding basins and other work to keep the city’s sewage from overflowing into the river.
