Amélie Oudéa-Castéra swam a few metres near the Alexandre III bridge, where the Olympic open water swimming competition will be held.
French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a symbolic dip in the Seine on Saturday in a bid to ease concerns about water quality before the start of the Paris Olympics.
Oudéa-Castéra, dressed in a wetsuit, swam a few metres near the Alexandre III bridge, where the Olympic open water swimming competition will be held. “We held our promise,” she said to BFMTV, referring to an earlier pledge to swim in the Seine before the Games begin on 26 July.Ever since swimming in the Seine was banned in 1923 due to pollution levels, French politicians have promised to make the river swimmable again.Former Paris mayor and later president Jacques Chirac famously vowed in 1988 that the river would be clean enough to swim in by the end of his term, a promise that went unfulfilled.
Hanquinquant, a para-triathlete, joined Oudéa-Castéra in Saturday's swim and experienced firsthand the conditions he will face in competition on 1 September. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...
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