Before the Olympics

France’s sports minister swims in the Seine

(Bild: Ministry Of Sport, Olympic And Paraolympic Games via AP, Krone KREATIV)

To prove that the water of the Seine in Paris is sufficiently clean just two weeks before the start of the Summer Olympics, France's sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a dip in the capital's river on Saturday in front of a television camera.

As the footage shows, the former professional tennis player slipped while getting in. Oudéa-Castéra was swimming not far from the Pont Alexandre III, where the triathlon and open water swimming competitions are to take place.

The City of Paris had previously announced on Friday that the current water quality of the Seine would be sufficient to organize the planned competitions there. According to the new analysis of the water quality presented by the city, it complied with the regulations for holding Olympic competitions on six of the last seven days measured. Over 80 percent of the water analyses complied with the limit values.

Mayor also wants to jump into the Seine
The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, plans to jump into the Seine on July 17, provided the water quality allows it. She had originally planned to jump into the expensively purified river on June 23, but the results of the water tests were too poor.

According to sources close to French President Emmanuel Macron in June, the head of state also wants to swim in the Seine before the start of the Games on July 26.