Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to swim in the Seine with French President Emmanuel Macron and top Olympic officials before the Games to prove that the river's water quality has improved. Hidalgo said she will take the plunge in late June or early July.
The Seine, very polluted in places, was cleaned at great expense before the Games. Open water swimmers and triathletes will compete in the river during the Games, which begin July 26.
From summer 2025, the public will also be allowed to swim in the Seine in certain places, a practice banned since 1923.
