American swims in Seine River before the Olympics despite contamination issues

American swims in Seine River before the Olympics despite contamination issues

A 75-year-old American swimmer took a dip in the Seine River in Paris to celebrate the fourth of July.

PARIS —On Thursday, a 75-year-old American swimmer braved the muddy waters of the Seine River in central Paris to celebrate the Fourth of July and highlight the French government’s attempts to clean it up for the Olympic Games.

He had good timing: hours later, regional authorities revealed statistics indicating that the river’s water quality had improved during the previous week, sparking expectations that it may hold Olympic swimming competitions after all.

Joel Stratte McClure, who last swam in the Seine in 1976 for a magazine cover shoot and turns 76 this month, expressed satisfaction with progress made in cleaning up the river, but remains concerned about its safety.

“I may regret having swum,” McClure stated before entering the water. “But if I come back alive, it will prove that the French have done a good job cleaning up the river.”

Last month, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo planned to swim in the Seine to demonstrate its cleanliness. However, detractors threatened to crap in the river on the same day.

However, she postponed the swim when President Emmanuel Macron declared early parliamentary elections, which have thrown France into political turmoil and eclipsed pre-Olympic optimism for many. Heavy rainfall in recent months has resulted in faster-than-usual currents for this time of year, and Hidalgo plans to swim in the river in mid-July instead.

“I believe the president called new elections to avoid swimming in the Seine,” McClure remarked.

After a quick swim, he called the water “fantastic” and hoped that others would follow his lead and enjoy the cleaner river.

Marathon swimming and triathlon are set to take place in the river near the Alexandre III bridge during the Olympics, which run from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympics, which run from August 28 to September 8.

Last week, the river had unsafe levels of E. coli for the third week in a row. However, on Thursday, regional authorities announced new results indicating an improvement.

According to test data from monitoring company Eau de Paris, pollution levels were below the World Triathlon Federation’s safe standard of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters for events on all but one day between June 26 and July 2.

French officials remain upbeat and declare there is no backup plan for Olympic open-water swimming events.