Current:Home > MarketsSeine water still isn't safe for swimmers, frustrating U.S. Olympians -EquityExchange
Seine water still isn't safe for swimmers, frustrating U.S. Olympians
View
Date:2025-04-23 08:30:40
First-time Olympian Ivan Puskovitch is asked some version of the same question all the time: Are you concerned about swimming in the Seine River given all the bacteria in the water?
The 23-year-old American open-water swimmer is one of many marathon swimmers and triathletes preparing to swim in the Paris river during the 2024 Olympics. That is, if it’s clean enough, as doubts about the water quality continue less than a month before the Games.
“My biggest concern, honestly, is just whether the race is going to be held or not,” Puskovitch said at U.S. Olympic swimming trials (in the pool) last month.
“Obviously, health and safety has to come first. It's pretty disappointing that the Olympic organizers have really not locked in cleaning this venue up as far in advance as they should have, to the point where now the whole world is questioning whether it's going to happen in time.”
Swimming in the Seine has largely been banned since 1923, but Paris Olympics organizers vowed to clean the water and bring it to safe swimming standards, including investing $1.5 billion toward the effort, the Associated Press reported last year.
However, as of mid-June, the Seine still contained high amounts of fecal bacteria, including E. coli, making it unsafe to swim in, according to a June 21 report published by the Paris region and Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office.
More:Pooping in Olympic river? Not even the Paris Games can bring divided France together
The report and the mayor cited heavy rain, little sunshine and below-average temperatures among the reasons for degraded water quality. And a Paris official said the water samples “do not meet the standards” for competition, according to Le Monde and Agence France-Presse.
Puskovitch, women’s 10k swimmer Katie Grimes and Team USA open water coach Ron Aitken said they haven’t heard of any backup venues, just backup dates. Olympics organizers have been “so adamant,” Puskovitch noted, about not having a plan B venue.
“That's extremely irresponsible,” Puskovitch said. “I think that even if there's a one-percent chance that the race isn't gonna be able to be held because of cleanliness or lack of cleanliness, you need to have a backup plan. It’s the Olympics.”
- The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news – fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
USA TODAY Sports reached out to Paris Olympics organizers, who did not respond for comment.
Aitken — who’s also the head coach and CEO of the Sandpipers of Nevada, Grimes’ club team — suspects there is an unpublicized backup venue but that organizers are hesitant to share it because of the hype built around swimming in the Seine.
“I don't think the Paris group wants people knowing that there's a backup plan because there would be everybody saying, ‘Forget it. None of us are going to do this now because we know you’ve got an option.’ I think they want you to think there's no option, especially if they think they've got it under control and it's going to be safe.”
In Paris, Aitken said he’ll offer athletes advice but leave the decision to compete in the Seine or not up to them and their families if there’s no alternative venue. But he’s convinced there is.
“It makes no sense,” he added. “You're gonna jeopardize people's lives or cancel an Olympic event because you don't have a plan B? Give me a break.”
Grimes and Aitken got a preview of the venue in 2023 before the open water test event was canceled — one of multiple canceled because of poor water quality. Aitken said he wouldn’t have let his swimmers compete regardless because of uncertainty about how the water was tested.
Though eager to swim in the iconic river, Grimes said she’s cautiously optimistic but definitely “concerned” about the water quality.
“There's lots of controversy over it because it is dirty water,” Grimes said. “Hopefully they have it all squared away by the time we get there.”
veryGood! (1)
Related
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Actress Sara Chase Details “Secret Double Life” of Battling Cancer While on Broadway
- Where is College GameDay this week? Location, what to know for ESPN show on Week 1
- Memphis, Tennessee murder suspect crashes through ceiling as US Marshals search for him
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- 2 Arizona women found dead in overturned vehicle on Mexico highway, police say
- The Most-Shopped Celeb Recommendations This Month: Kyle Richards, Porsha Williams, Gabby Douglas & More
- Where is College GameDay this week? Location, what to know for ESPN show on Week 1
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- DJT sinks to new low: Why Trump Media investors are feeling less bullish
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn again, this time for 'unfavorable weather' for splashdown
- New Jersey man drowns while rescuing 2 of his children in Delaware River
- Iowa water buffalo escapes owner moments before slaughter, eluding police for days
- 'Most Whopper
- Missouri death row inmate gets another chance at a hearing that could spare his life
- In the First Community Meeting Since a Fatal Home Explosion, Residents Grill Alabama Regulators, Politicians Over Coal Mining Destruction
- Rohingya refugees mark the anniversary of their exodus and demand a safe return to Myanmar
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Missouri death row inmate gets another chance at a hearing that could spare his life
Hard Knocks recap: Velus Jones Jr., Ian Wheeler, Austin Reed get one last chance to impress Bears
Bowl projections: Preseason picks for who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Sicily Yacht Tragedy: Hannah Lynch's Sister Breaks Silence on Angel Teen's Death
Woman files suit against White Sox after suffering gunshot wound at 2023 game
'Beloved' father who was clearing storm drains identified as victim of Alaska landslide