Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo takes plunge in Seine, signalling river is ready for Olympic events

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo eventually swam in the Seine, in Paris on 17 July, 2024, to demonstrate that the river is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming Olympic events. © AFP - Julien de Rosa

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, eventually swam in the Seine on Wednesday to demonstrate the river is now clean enough for outdoor Olympic swimming events.

Wearing goggles and a wet suit, Anne Hidalgo swam breaststroke before immersing her face and beginning a front crawl, covering around 100 metres up and downstream.