The French Minister of Sports was accompanied by Alexis Hanquinquant, France’s Paralympic flag bearer.
French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a symbolic dip in the Seine on Saturday to allay concerns about water quality ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra swam a few meters near the Alexandre III bridge, where the Olympic open water swimming competition will take place.
“We kept our promise”she said, referring to an earlier commitment to swim in the Seine before the Games begin on July 26.
She was accompanied by Alexis Hanquinquant, France’s Paralympic flag bearer.
Since swimming in the Seine was banned in 1923 due to pollution levels, French politicians have promised to make the river safe again. Former Paris mayor and then French president Jacques Chirac pledged in 1988 that the river would be clean enough for swimming before the end of his term, a promise that has not been kept.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also plans to swim in the Seine to reassure people about its cleanliness.
In February, French President Emmanuel Macron also promised to swim in the Seine, adding: “I’m not going to give you the date: there’s a risk that you’ll be there.”
