Paris Plans Swimming Areas for Its Iconic Seine River
The city is well on its way to cleaning up the historically polluted river ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Convincing Parisians to take a dip may prove more difficult.
People bathe in the Seine river near the Pont d'Iéna, in June 1946 in Paris, during a heat wave.
Photographer: AFP via Getty Images
Just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the River Seine in Paris will be clean enough to swim in.
The French capital is well on the way to achieving this long-cherished goal, according to a statement from Paris City Hall last week. A swimmable Seine would be a major turnaround for a busy urban waterway once notorious for its filth, allowing Paris to stage aquatic competition events in one of the world’s most famous, photogenic metropolitan riverscapes.