Paris inaugurates massive water storage basin to clean up River Seine for Olympics

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other officials attend the inauguration of the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on May 2, 2024. © Stéphane de Sakutin via Reuters

French officials inaugurated on Thursday a huge water storage basin meant to help clean up the River Seine, set to be the venue for marathon swimming at the Paris Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.

Sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra praised Paris' ability “to provide athletes from all over the world with an exceptional setting on the Seine for their events.”