Three years after swimming the Seine, Arthur Germain celebrates a “political victory” towards the reappropriation of the river by its inhabitants. His mother, the city councilor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, also bathed there, marking a significant milestone. “A third of French people live less than 20 km from the Seine,” underlines the adventurer, who calls for making the Seine “a center of the ecological fight” in the face of global warming.
Arthur Germain hopes for mass participation in swimming in the Seine but acknowledges that it will take years for complete reconciliation between the river and its inhabitants. He notes that the Seine has been swimmable for a while, with civil protection conducting training there. However, cleanliness remains a primary concern for Parisians, as highlighted by his 2021 expedition study.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, took her first dip in the Seine this Wednesday, fulfilling her promise to swim in its waters nine days before the Olympic Games. The symbolic act represents the city's efforts to clean up the river, which had been prohibited for swimming for a century due to pollution. The sanitation process was accelerated by the upcoming mega sporting event.
Hidalgo swam about 100 meters in front of a crowd of journalists and onlookers, alongside Tony Estanguet, president of the Olympic Games organizing committee, and Marc Guillaume, prefect of the Ile-de-France region. The mayor's immersion in the Seine was initially scheduled for June but was postponed due to early legislative elections. French President Emmanuel Macron also promised to bathe in the river, though he did not specify a date.
The Seine will host several Olympic events, including the swimming leg of the triathlon and paratriathlon, as well as the open water swimming event. The city council has invested around 1.4 billion euros since 2016 to ensure the river meets health standards, particularly concerning bacteria of fecal origin. Recent tests have shown generally positive bacteriological results, clearing the way for these competitions.
The decontamination of the river was a key component of Paris' bid for the Olympic Games. The opening ceremony on July 26 will feature a six-kilometer route along the Seine, with more than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries participating. The event is expected to draw a global audience, with 300,000 attendees and an estimated 1 billion viewers on television.
Despite these efforts, a 2021 survey revealed that two-thirds of French people still perceive the Seine as dirty and polluted, with only 12% attracted to bathing in it. The images of Hidalgo and Oudéa-Castéra swimming in the river have garnered international attention, but it remains to be seen if public perception will change post-Olympics.
- Arthur Germain emphasizes that the health issue of swimming in the Seine is largely resolved, provided that people avoid swimming near sewage treatment plants or after heavy rain. He highlights the need to address visual pollution, such as litter, to further democratize swimming in the river.
- Hidalgo's swim in the Seine was a significant moment, symbolizing the city's commitment to cleaning the river. The chosen location for her swim is one of three that will open to the public in 2025, allowing residents to swim safely. The other locations will be near the Eiffel Tower and in the southeast of the city.
- The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been a driving force behind the river's decontamination. The opening ceremony will be the first of its kind to take place outside an Olympic stadium, featuring athletes parading along the Seine in boats. This historic event underscores the importance of the river in the city's ecological and cultural landscape.
