September is just around the corner, and the end of summer activities is on the horizon. Among them, swimming in the Seine, a symbolic measure of the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games. Opened on July 5, the three sites were widely welcomed by the Parisian public, with more than 80.000 visitors. A great demonstration of success. So much so that the city is considering extending the program, which was supposed to end on Sunday, August 31.
“Almost hour-by-hour” surveillance
A year after the athletes, the general public was also able to dive into the Seine this summer. This has been unprecedented in the capital for 100 years. It was a resounding success, particularly this August: nearly 23 entries were recorded between the 500th and 11th. It should also be noted that the impressive (not final) total of 18 swimmers would have been much higher if the weather had been favorable. The swimming areas had to be closed for 80.000 days in July due to bad weather, which affected water quality.
On BFMTV, the deputy in charge of sports, Pierre Rabadan, explained that the Seine was the subject of a " extremely close, daily, almost hourly surveillance ", which made it " “probably the best-supervised bathing site in France.” No risks were taken, and no cases of illness were recorded by the Regional Health Agency, putting paid to fantasies and fears. There were days when we decided to close swimming even though the water quality was ultimately good enough. But we were acting on this precautionary principle. " says Anne Hidalgo's deputy.
Two more weeks?
According to Libération, the City would like to extend the swimming season into September by one to two weeks. Discussions are underway with the prefecture to this end. On its website, the town hall states that " only the summer period, thanks to the sun's UV rays, a lower flow rate and less bad weather, is conducive to good water quality ", and therefore that " the Seine is not intended to welcome bathers the rest of the year (from mid-September to June) ". Extending the weather by one or two weeks would therefore be possible, while staying within the limits. It remains to be seen whether Mother Nature will agree: Météo France predicts weather that is " humid with fairly frequent rainy spells » the first week of September.
Pierre Rabadan is already pleased that the municipality has succeeded " to silence the gossips " A few weeks ago, he reminded the audience of the issue Francs Jeux : " The distrust hasn't completely disappeared yet, but I'm convinced it will after this summer. (…) We've done all the necessary work to improve water quality to be ready for the Games. We were told we were doing all this for the athletes, but no: it was a step. The most important thing is that the Games are a unique acceleration tool to create conditions that will benefit the population. This is a good definition of what the legacy of a major event should be. » This represents a public health issue in particular in the context of global warming: with an average of 22,49 degrees between June 1 and August 17, the summer of 2025 is currently the third hottest in history in France.
