France’s sports minister and Paralympic triathlon champion Alexis Hanquinquant swam in the River Seine at the weekend as we near decision time as to whether it is clean enough to stage both triathlon and open-water swimming events this summer.
Despite a massive clean-up operation in the Parisian waterway, costing a reported €1.4bn (£1.18bn), some of the races at last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Test events were reduced to duathlon status with the water quality not meeting required standards.
And there has been much debate as to whether something similar could happen at first the Olympics and then the Paralympics.
Test results have been closely monitored in recent weeks, with things looking a bit more encouraging lately.
‘Promise kept’
So the news that Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Hanquinquant, who won gold in the men’s PTS4 event at Tokyo, had taken to the water for a brief swim is hopefully a further indication things are moving in the right direction.
Posting a video on X, which showed them entering the water near the Alexandre III and Invalides bridges and has now had nearly two million views, Oudéa-Castéra said: “Promise kept.”
The swims for the men’s and women’s individual triathlon events take place in the same area and are scheduled to take place on 30th and 31st July respectively, with the Mixed Team Relay on 5th August.
And the Paralympics events cover the 1st and 2nd of September.
Will mayor Hidalgo be next?
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo had also promised to swim in the Seine on 23rd June, though that prompted an angry backlash which took on the hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin.
The snap French Elections postponed that event, though the mayor has now suggested it could happen this week.
If the water quality is deemed to be unsafe in Paris – and it can’t be rescheduled a few days later – then the triathlons will become duathlons.
But there is a ‘Plan B’ for open water swimming which will remain marathon swimming events and will be held at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, which will also host the rowing and canoeing events.
