The Seine will host the open water events at the Paris Olympics in 2024, which has required a yearslong “swimming plan” to clean up the waterway.
The New York Times detailed the efforts last week, which includes “thousands of new underground pipes, tanks and pumps designed to prevent damaging bacteria from flowing into the Seine, particularly during storms.” The river is also heavily polluted by industrial waste and heavy metals. The goal is to make the Parisian river a destination for swimmers not just during the Games but sustainably so afterward.
Swimming events were held in the Seine during the 1900 Olympics. Swimming was banned in the river in 1923.
The Seine will host the men’s and women’s 10-kilometer races at the Paris Olympics, the only distances in the open water discipline. It will also handle the swimming leg of the triathlon events.
