Current:Home > ContactParis Olympics could use alternate site for marathon swimming if Seine unsafe -WealthMap Solutions
Paris Olympics could use alternate site for marathon swimming if Seine unsafe
View
Date:2025-04-16 07:12:19
PARIS − The Paris 2024 marathon swimming event could be held just outside Paris if the Seine River is not safe for bathing, organizers said on Friday.
"The rules of World Triathlon allow, as a final resort, for the competition to be held in a duathlon format. On the other hand, in order to guarantee that marathon swimming events could still be held if all other contingency plans were exhausted, we have initiated a fallback plan based on the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium," a Paris 2024 spokesperson told Reuters.
"The competition site, already used for rowing and canoeing events, has all the necessary features to host these events if required."
The quality of the Seine water has improved, data showed on Thursday, three weeks before the Olympics.
Data published by the city and regional authorities showed the concentrations of enterococci and E.coli bacteria were below legal thresholds six out of nine days between June 24-July 2.
The levels depend on rainfall and water temperature among other factors. With decent weather this week in Paris, the quality of the water is expected to remain good.
The French capital has been working on cleaning up the Seine so people can swim in it again, as was the case during the 1900 Paris Olympics. But a sewer problem last summer led to the cancellation of a pre-Olympics swimming event.
The swimming leg of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event of the Olympics, which run from July 26 to Aug. 11, are scheduled to be held in the Seine.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who championed a campaign to clean up the once infamously dirty river in time for the Olympics, last month postponed her planned dip in the river.
She said then it was likely to happen after the French snap elections, whose second round is due to take place on Sunday, and after the annual July 14 Bastille Day celebrations.
"We have every confidence in the work undertaken by the State, the City of Paris and all the parties involved to make the Seine swimmable so that the events can take place there as planned," the spokesperson added.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Texas prison lockdown over drug murders renews worries about lack of air conditioning in heat wave
- Aryna Sabalenka, soon to be new No. 1, cruises into U.S. Open semifinals
- 'She loved the island:' Family of Maui woman who died in wildfires sues county, state
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Tiny farms feed Africa. A group that aims to help them wins a $2.5 million prize
- Alaskan fishers fear another bleak season as crab populations dwindle in warming waters
- Former Rep. Mike Rogers enters Michigan Senate race as the first prominent Republican
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- 'She loved the island:' Family of Maui woman who died in wildfires sues county, state
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- A judge orders Texas to move a floating barrier used to deter migrants to the bank of the Rio Grande
- Suspect wanted in 2019 ambush that killed 9 American citizens is arrested in New Mexico
- Montana’s attorney general faces professional misconduct complaint. Spokeswoman calls it meritless
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Heat wave in Mid-Atlantic, Northeast forces schools to close, modify schedules
- George Washington University sheltering in place after homicide suspect escapes from hospital
- Kim Jong Un plans to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia, U.S. official says
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Inside Rolling Stones 'Hackney Diamonds' London album party with Fallon, Sydney Sweeney
North Carolina public school students performing better on standardized tests, report says
Christie says DeSantis put ‘politics ahead of his job’ by not seeing Biden during hurricane visit
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Montana’s attorney general faces professional misconduct complaint. Spokeswoman calls it meritless
Great Wall of China damaged by workers allegedly looking for shortcut for their excavator
Funko Pop Fall: Shop Marvel, Disney, Broadway, BTS & More Collectibles Now