French sports minister swims in Seine in splashy boost for Paris Olympics organisers
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240713-french-sports-minister-swims-in-seine-in-splashy-boost-for-paris-olympics-organisers
French sports minister swims in Seine in splashy boost for Paris Olympics organisers
With the water quality of the River Seine meeting required standards over the past few days, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera on Saturday swam in the river in a boost for Olympics organisers ahead of the July 26 kickoff. The question of whether the river will be consistently clean enough for official swimming events to be held in it has kept Paris officials on tenterhooks for months.
Issued on: 13/07/2024 - 12:24
2 min
By:
NEWS WIRES
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes the river will be clean enough for competitors at the Paris Olympics which start in less than a fortnight.
The 46-year-old was accompanied by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be host nation France's flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on August 28.
Weather permitting, the river will be the star of the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 and will then host the triathlon and the open water swimming.
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Oudea-Castera seized her opportunity -- exclusively filmed by news channel BFMTV -- a day after Paris city hall said the Seine has been clean enough to swim in for most of the past 12 days.
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https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240712-seine-clean-enough-to-swim-for-most-of-past-12-days-paris-says-ahead-of-olympics
Seine met swimming standards for past several days, Paris says ahead of Olympics
Paris city hall announced on Friday that the Seine has been clean enough for swimming for most of the past 12 days, just weeks before the start of the 2024 Games. Despite recent unseasonable rain that has raised pollution levels, city officials remain confident that the river will be ready to host Olympic events such as the triathlon and swimming marathon.
Issued on: 12/07/2024 - 10:32
2 min
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