Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo delivered on a long-awaited promise on Wednesday, July 17, nine days before the Olympic Games kick off. Hidalgo took a much-anticipated swim in the long-polluted Seine River in an effort to prove that the water is clean enough for the upcoming Olympic swimming competitions that will take place in the waterway.
“It’s amazing, you know, it was a dream for us,” Hidalgo said. “We worked a lot and very hard for that. It is, not just be here today and swim together, it’s a very lucky and happy day. It’s also for the planet, you know, and for the river and the ocean.”
Swimming in the Seine River had been banned since 1923 due to health concerns related to pollution in the river. However, since 2015, $1.5 billion has been spent by organizers in an effort to prepare the river for the Olympic Games. The plan involved constructing a gigantic underground water storage basin, sewer renovations and upgrades to water treatment plants.
Despite the efforts, daily water tests in early June revealed that unsafe of E. coli existed within the river. However, more recent findings have shown improvement to the water quality.
Hidalgo’s swim was previously planned for June, but snap elections in France postponed her dive into the Seine River. On the initial date of her expected swim, some social media users reportedly threatened to defecate upstream into the river in protest of the Olympic Games.
More serious threats have been leveled as well. French authorities said that they arrested an 18-year-old suspected Neo-Nazi for allegedly plotting an attack at the Olympic Games. The man reportedly had followers on Telegram prepared for violence after he threatened a Paris-based drag queen who participated in the Olympic torch rally.
Amid the heightened security concerns, French soldiers have arrived in Paris to provide extra security. A newly built military camp is located for operations across the city and can hold up to 4,500 soldiers.
The Olympic Games are set to begin Friday, July 26.
