Seine pollution too risky for Olympic athletes, warns environmental group

The Seine that runs through Paris and is set to be the stage for the Summer Olympics remains too polluted just months before the start of the games, warns a French environmental organisation that published results from months-long testing of the river

The flooded banks of the Seine river, 5 April 2024. An French environmental group has measured dangerous levels of pollution in the river over the past months during one of the city's wettest winters on record. © Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

The Surfrider Foundation said Monday it had been analysing twice-monthly tests of the water between the Alexandre-III and Alma bridges, where Olympic events are set to take place, since September and concluded the river remains polluted and potentially dangerous.

In an open letter including the results, the group said it "wanted to share with stakeholders its rising concerns about the quality of the Seine but also the risks faced by athletes moving in contaminated water."

The Seine will be the stage for the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, and pending pollution levels, the marathon swimming events and the triathlon are to be held in the river.

The tests, carried out by the Paris water authority, Eau de Paris, and the environmental analysis group Analy-Coand, showed bacteria levels two and three times higher than amounts allowed by European water quality standards and by the triathlon and open-water swimming federations.

The main culprit is heavy rainfall that can overwhelm Paris’ sewage system and lead to direct dumping of untreated water into the river.

Trial swimming events and training sessions have been cancelled because of sewage problems.

The Surfrider results were recorded during one of the wettest winters in 30 years, and organisers have always maintained that sporting events can only take place in the Seine if there is little or no rainfall.

The group asked about "the possibility of a plan B" for the events, which so far organisers have said does not exist.

Cleaning up the Seine is intended to be one of the legacy achievements of the Paris 2024 Olympics, and authorities have spent 1.4 billion euros over the past several years on upgrading sewage and storm water treatment facilities in the Paris region.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French President Emmanuel Macron have promised to swim in the Seine before the start of the Games to demonstrate it is safe for athletes and the public.

(with AFP)