France – The environmental organization Surfrider Foundation has identified a threat facing athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games scheduled in Paris this summer.
The French newspaper L’Equipe reported that the water quality in the Seine River still does not meet the recommended standards for swimming.
The tests were conducted from September 2023 to March 2024, and scientists pointed out the risks to which athletes who will participate in triathlon and open water swimming competitions are exposed.
In August 2023, the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris was cancelled.
The tournament was rejected due to water pollution in the Seine River, and these competitions were supposed to be tests preceding the Olympic Games.
Swimming in the Seine River has been banned since 1923, due to the significant deterioration in the quality of the river’s water and its containing many dangerous fecal bacteria. The sewage system dates back to the nineteenth century and is based on pouring wastewater into tunnels under the streets of Paris. In normal times, Drainage goes to treatment centers on the outskirts of the capital, but when heavy rains fall, the excess sewage mixes with the water of the Seine River, and it was planned to clean the river with the start of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Paris from next July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Source: L’Equipe newspaper
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2024-04-09 21:19:34
