Could the rain cancel the first pre-Olympic swimming test in the Seine? The open water swimming event scheduled for this weekend is subject to the whims of the Parisian weather, the precipitation expected in the coming days could pollute the river and prevent the competition from being held.
A 10 km crawl in the Seine
Last Thursday, the prefecture of the Île-de-France region, on the basis of bacteriological analyzes of June and July, authorized “in principle” the open water swimming events which are to be held on Saturday and Sunday between the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont de l’Alma, in the heart of Paris, as well as those of the triathlon from August 17 to 20.
This weekend is precisely an open water swimming World Cup event organized under the aegis of World Aquatics, the international swimming federation. But above all, it is a “test” for the organizers of the Paris Olympics, a way to run in the Olympic event next year.
The swimmers on Saturday and the swimmers on Sunday will crawl 10 km, in reality several loops of 1.6 km between the two famous bridges, the Eiffel Tower in the background, organizers and authorities with their eyes riveted on the quality of the water.
It will also be a premise for future swimming promised for 2025 by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on three sites while swimming has been prohibited there since 1923.
Waiting for weather improvement
But the weekend event, a training being scheduled Friday morning also, can it be held?
“If there is no improvement in the weather, it will be complicated,” conceded one of the authorities concerned on Tuesday. Because between Eaux de Paris, the organizing committee of the Olympic Games, the town hall of Paris, the prefecture of Île-de-France (…) many are indeed leaning on the results of water analyzes which must respect the standards required by the international federation, analyzes looking for the famous bacterium Escherichia coli and enterococci in particular.
Weather forecasters are also regularly consulted. Because it is the rain that could spoil the sporting festival, in particular intense rains which bring waste water into the river, causing the sewers to overflow.
After several days of precipitation in Île-de-France, and more rain expected on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, will the analyzes be good? Doubts arise. “There is a risk”, abounds one of the authorities concerned, awaiting the latest results of analyzes carried out by Eaux de Paris.
Especially since all the sites allowing the absorption of this river water have not been completed, in particular the Austerlitz basin, still under construction, which will make it possible to store rainwater (50,000 m3) from the beginning of 2024.
“If it rains torrents for a week, it will be complicated”
On June 9, the daily analyses, on the basis of the European regulations in force, had given “excellent results”, had rejoiced the town hall of Paris. But, recognized Pierre Rabadan, deputy for sport and the Seine at the town hall, “if it rains torrents for a week, it will be complicated”. The readings for the summer of 2022, “before all the work in progress”, were 92% satisfactory to authorize swimming, he then recalled.
A first meeting must be held in the night from Thursday to Friday to authorize, on the basis of the last water sample taken, first the training Friday morning at 7:30 am, and likewise the following nights. Each time, if the analyzes of the sample taken 24 hours before are not good, it will be necessary to cancel.
For the Olympic Games in 2024, the organizers have long planned to be able to postpone the events by two or three days, in the event of storms and heavy rain.
Since 2016, the State and local authorities have spent approximately 1.4 billion euros on all construction sites intended for bathing in the Seine (correction of evacuations of houses and barges, modernization of purification plants, construction of storage and sanitation stations, etc.) and thus prevent rainwater from carrying wastewater into the river.
