After 100 years! Paris announces: will resume swimming | Wish | Paris
For Parisians in France, the wish to swim in the Seine River is about to come true.
Paris Mayor Hidalgo announced on the 9th that some water sports for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held on the Seine River. Starting from 2025, the public will be officially allowed to swim in this river, thus lifting the Seine River swimming ban that was issued 100 years ago. Idalgo said that three swimming pools will be built on the Seine River first, with lifeguards on duty and equipped with facilities such as changing rooms, showers, and storage areas.
According to local media reports, it was common for Parisians to swim in the Seine River over 100 years ago. When the first Olympic Games were held in Paris in 1900, swimming competitions were held in the Seine River. Later, due to river pollution, the government officially ordered a ban on swimming in the Seine River in 1923.
The Paris government started implementing the Seine River purification project a few years ago and has invested 1.4 billion euros to purify the Seine River water flowing through the Greater Paris region. Most of the project is expected to be completed this summer. At that time, 23000 households and 260 boat houses will be connected to the sewage treatment system, and sewage will no longer be directly discharged into the Seine River.