Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the city announced this month that it would be making the river Seine accessible to swimmers for the first time in 100 years.
Due to poor quality water and river pollutants, swimming was banned in the capital’s Seine in 1923. However, Parisians will be able to benefit from a swim for the first time in over a century thanks to significant investments made by the capital to reduce water pollution.
As part of a €1.4 billion euro initiative, the Olympic Games in 2024 will open three major events; the triathlon, marathon swimming and para-triathlon. In 2025, the general public will be able to benefit from the legacy of the event with new open-air swimming areas set to be revealed along the riverbank of the Seine at several calling points across the city.
Industrialisation and shipping over the last century has made the Seine river polluted and toxic for swimmers, however, over a period of 20 years, significant work has been carried out to remove prevailing faecal matter in the river among other toxins, with a new underground reservoir pulling wastewater overflow set to be unveiled next year as it enters operation.
The three areas to be opened to Parisians for summer bathing in 2025 and beyond include central Paris, the Île Saint-Louis, and towards the east and west banks.
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