Competitions wobble

Disgusting protest! Seine to be used as a toilet

Paris is fighting to keep the Seine clean.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

With the triathlon and open water swimming, two Olympic disciplines in Paris are shaky. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to take a dip in the Seine.

A race against time! At the beginning of June, a test competition in open water swimming for the Olympic Games should have taken place in the Seine in Paris. However, rainfall caused the river to become more polluted again - it had to be canceled. At the beginning of June, the test value for faecal bacteria was also exceeded several times (because the sewage system was flooded).

"Safety is the main thing"
The triathletes and open water swimmers are due to compete for Olympic medals in the river from the end of July. "The safety of the athletes is the main thing. I hope they get it under control," says triathlon ace Lisa Perterer.

Emmanuel Macron announced that he would be swimming in the river.

(Bild: AP)

To showcase the good quality of the Seine's water, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and even President Emmanuel Macron have announced that they will swim in the Seine before the Games. This has angered citizens because the Seine is only now being cleaned up for the Games (at a cost of 1.4 billion euros!). Under the slogan "We poop in the Seine", people are calling on social media to do their "business" in the river on the day of the political swimming test ...