Siene river

Paris, July 12 (PL) - The Paris Mayor's Office said today that the quality of the water in the Seine River is improving for the Olympic Games and stressed its confidence that they will take place.

According to Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor in charge of sports, in the tests carried out over the last 12 days, 10 or 11 of them found water quality within the parameters set for bathing.

"We hope that in the next few days it will improve a little more, but we have no concerns about the holding of the disciplines," he told RFI.

The river, which will host the opening of Paris-2024 on 26 July, will be the venue for the triathlon swimming (30 and 31 July and 5 August) and the open water (8 and 9 August).

Rabadan insisted that it is not a matter of marginalising the weather factor, but of ensuring that the competitions can be held on the scheduled dates.

The quality of the Seine's water has been a major concern in recent months, with high levels of contamination by dangerous Escherichia coli and Enterococcus bacteria present at levels above those accepted for bathing by international federations.

According to the authorities, heavy rains in May and June in the Paris region triggered the phenomenon, and they were confident that the arrival of summer and sunshine would change the situation.

A week ago, the president of the Organising Committee of the Paris-2024 Olympic Games (COJO), Tony Estanguet, acknowledged for the first time the existence of a plan B if the pollution of the river were to prevent the swimming events from taking place. Speaking to L'Équipe, the three-time Olympic canoeing champion mentioned the use of Vaires-sur-Marne, in the Paris region, as an alternative.

Vaires-sur-Marne will host the rowing and canoeing disciplines of the event under the five rings from 26 July to 11 August, so it has the necessary conditions, he said.

However, Estanguet was confident that the Seine will be ready for Paris-2024.