Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in Seine to prove it is clean before Olympic Games

'We are reversing the tide of history,' says her deputy as dip goes ahead after postponements due to heavy rain and pollution fears

Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris mayor to swim in the river Seine ahead of the Olympics - Seine River, Paris, France - July 17, 2024 Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the river Seine REUTERS / Abdul Saboor

Ms Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River to fulfill a promise she made months ago to show that the river is clean enough to host swimming competitions during the Olympics. AP

Despite an investment of 1.4 billion euros to prevent sewage leaks into the waterway, the Seine has been causing suspense in the run-up to the opening of the games. AFP

Ms Hidalgo smiles in the Seine. Reuters

A local resident dives in to the Seine. AFP

Ms Hidalgo gets back to dry land after her plunge into the river. Reuters

Fire workers patrol on the river Seine before the mayor's swim. Reuters

Dozens of swimmers took a dip in the Seine with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Wednesday in a much-anticipated event to show the cleanliness of the river before the Olympic Games.

“It's pure joy,” Ms Hidalgo, 65, said after her 100-metre front crawl swim wearing goggles and a knee-length wetsuit. “The water feels good – a little cool but not that much. And it's sunny."

Ms Hidalgo became the first Paris mayor to fulfil their promise of swimming in the Seine, as she sought to boost excitement nine days before the Games' opening ceremony, which is due to take place on the river.

In 1988, her predecessor Jacques Chirac famously failed to swim in the river due to high pollution levels.

The city invested €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) on preventing sewage leaks into the waterway but the event had to be postponed several times because of heavy rain. Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. However, the river is set to be used for the swimming leg of the Olympics triathlon on July 30 and 31 and August 5.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (R) and her deputy in charge of sanitation Antoine Guillou (L) swim in the Seine, in Paris on July 17, 2024, to demonstrate that the river is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

Ms Hidalgo was joined by swimming enthusiasts and colleagues, including Antoine Guillou, deputy mayor in charge of waste management and sanitation.

“We are reversing the tide of history,” he told The National as he readied to swim, wearing an old-fashioned striped black and white swimsuit stamped with his office logo – a sewer hole.

“We are giving back to the Seine its role as a river and natural environment that it should never have lost,” said Mr Guillou.

As a legacy of the clean-up effort for the Games, the city has promised that the public will be able to swim in three different sites starting next summer.

Her swim had been scheduled for last month but was delayed because bacteria indicating the presence of faecal matter was found to be as high as 10 times higher than authorised limits in France's second-longest river.

“The Seine is impacted by rainfall and by general weather conditions, not only in Paris but upstream,” said Mr Guillou. “The idea is that when there is rainfall, discharges occur in the Seine because the Seine is historically a safety valve for sanitation networks.”

Some of Paris's underground water network dates back to the 19th century.

The event has sparked jokes and memes on social media, with one viral AI-generated image showing Ms Hidalgo looking like the wrinkled Gollum character from the Lord of the Rings movies after her dip.

Countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – in pictures

The Olympic rings are illuminated on the Eiffel Tower before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Getty Images

The Arc de Triomphe adorned with the Paralympic logo. Getty Images

Riders and horses from Team Ireland practise dressage during an equestrian eventing training session at Chateau de Versailles. Getty Images

A beach volleyball practice match at the Eiffel Tower Stadium. AP

Boipelo Awuah of South Africa during skateboard training at La Concorde. Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron with athletes during a visit to the Olympic village. Reuters

A view of the beach volleyball venue in Paris. AP

People play basketball in front of the Hotel de Ville. Getty Images

The skateboarding venue at La Concorde. AFP

The interior of the Grand Palais, where fencing and taekwondo competitions will take place. Getty Images

The Olympic village, as seen from the Village plaza in Saint-Denis. Getty Images

French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou holds the Olympic Torch next to Tony Estanguet, president of the organising committee of the 2024 Games, at the Eiffel Tower. AFP

The Olympic Games logo at Bastille Square in Paris. EPA

A soldier at a military camp in the Vincennes forest, on the outskirts of Paris. The camp will house 4,500 soldiers who will provide additional security during the Games. AP

Torchbearers pose with the Olympic flame and dancers outside The Moulin Rouge. Reuters

A banner bearing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo, at the Trocadero in Paris. AFP

Lt Gen Christophe Abad, the Military Governor of Paris, holds the Olympic torch as he rides past officials including President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte during the Bastille Day military parade. AFP

The Eiffel Tower Stadium as workers prepare the venue that will host beach volleyball events. Getty Images

Workers set up internet cables inside the handball arena in Paris. Getty Images

Torch bearer and French BMX world champion Matthias Dandois performs after holding the Olympic flame at the Trocadero in front of the Eiffel Tower. AFP

Olympic rings are installed in front of the Nantes train station. AFP

Members of the public take photos in front of the countdown clock for the Games at Port de la Bourfonnais, near the Eiffel Tower, in Paris. PA

Stands are constructed at Place de la Concorde ahead of the Games. PA

Tourists stand on the Sacre-Coeur Basilica stairs painted with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games colours. Reuters

The big screens at Piccadilly Circus in London marking 100 days to go before the Games begin. PA

People watch as former British Olympic artistic swimmers Asha George, Katie Clark, Sisy Wang and Emily Kuhl perform in a water tank in London to mark 100 days before the Games. Reuters

Stands are constructed on the Champ-de-Mars, near the Eiffel Tower. PA

Greek actress Mary Mina, playing the role of High Priestess, lights the flame during the Olympic Flame lighting ceremony in Greece for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Reuters

Workers build stands for this summer's Olympic Games on the Champ-de-Mars, beside the Eiffel Tower in Paris. AP

French skipper Armel Le Cleac'h poses with the Olympic torch and the Olympic lantern, in Paris. Navigator Mr Le Cleac'h will carry the Olympic flame from Brest to the Antilles next June in the ocean torch relay, which will visit six French overseas territories. AFP

Workers construct banks of seating in front of the obelisk at the La Concorde Urban Park site in central Paris. AFP

Police officers, military personnel, rescue workers and firefighters take part in an exercise simulating a terrorist attack at the Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, eastern France. AFP

Activists hold a banner that translates to: 'Do not leave exclusion as a legacy', during a protest to raise awareness of the social impact of the Olympics in Paris. AP

Grandstands are set up in the gardens of Chateau de Versailles, where equestrian events and the modern pentathlon will be held. EPA

The facade of Paris City Hall is decorated with the Olympic rings. EPA

Some of the French capital's Metro stations have changed their name for Olympic year. EPA

Maintenance work is carried out at the swimming pools in the Aquatics Centre, built for the Olympics in Saint Denis. AFP

Two official Olympic 'Phryges' mascots on parade at the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee. AFP

The Champ-de-Mars Arena is taking shape. It will host judo, para judo, wrestling and wheelchair rugby, with beach volleyball held nearby. AP

Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals in a Louis Vuitton medals trunk, which will transport and protect the gongs. Reuters

Members of the French National Police elite unit take part in an exercise drill in the Paris suburb of Draveil. AFP

The Media Village that will host journalists from around the world, in Le Bourget. AFP

Activists pose with Olympic rings outside the Orsay Museum in Paris, during a demonstration to draw attention to social inequality they say will be exacerbated by the coming event. AFP

Employees work on outfits for volunteers at a manufacturing workshop in Marseille. AFP

A test for the Olympic torch relay in Troyes. Reuters

A French police officer demonstrates how an anti-drone gun works during a media presentation of security systems at a military base in Velizy-Vallacoublay, south-west of Paris. AFP

Those who volunteered to swim alongside Ms Hidalgo and her team said they were undeterred by the Seine's pollution.

“It's iconic to swim here. I can come by metro. It's really nice,” said Pierre Malherbe, 49. “I'm not worried about the dirt. It's all diluted in lots of water anyway.”

Speaking before the event, Marc Valmassoni from clean-water campaign group Surfrider, said: “It's been raining all over France. Summer has been very late to arrive and so have the good results.”

“They're not excellent, they're not terrible, they're average. But at this time the water is swimmable.”

Rehearsals for the opening ceremony on the Seine, during which thousands of athletes will set sail down the river, have been postponed repeatedly because of the strength of the currents.