Olympics is ‘stupid’ for pushing athletes into poop-filled River Seine – world champs will fall ill, workers fume

The hours are ticking down before the Opening Ceremony, and Paris continues to come under fire for a “stupid” decision that could be dangerous.

As the Paris 2024 Olympics are set to kick off next Thursday, the water quality of the Seine River has become a hot topic of discussion.

The French river which has historically been polluted with chemicals, garbage, and human waste, is set to host several open-water swimming events during the Olympic Games.

The first Olympic Games held in France also used the iconic Seine River for events such as rowing, water polo, and swimming.

However, that was in 1900, 23 years before swimming in the river was outlawed by the French government for a century due to its poor water quality and health hazards.

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The last time France hosted the Olympics was just one year after the ban, in 1924.

But now that the Olympics are coming back to France this month, the Seine’s condition has been a focal point of the city and government’s efforts, investing over 1.4 billion euros, the equivalent of $1.5 billion, since 2016 in an attempt to clean it according to Sports Pro Media.

Despite extensive efforts, including building a mega-basin designed to store waste and prevent the sewage system from spilling into the river, the results have fallen short of expectations, casting doubt and raising concerns about the safety of athletes and their health.

The Seine is slated to host several swimming events during the Games, including marathon swimming and the swimming legs of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.

Yet, the most recent tests have still shown that troubling levels of bacteria like E. coli. remain present in the water.

As of July 17, bacteria levels in the Seine were reported to be 852 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres on Tuesday, which is down from Monday’s reading of 1,459.

The World Triathlon Federation, the international governing body for triathlons, duathlons, and aquathlons, has determined that at the bare minimum, 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres as safe for swimmers - cutting it very close.

But there is still no plan B by officials for the games, like Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan, who instead doubled down and declared the river will be the one and only location for the world’s best swimmers this summer.

This has led to calls from officials, like one employee from the city’s environmental department who agreed to speak with The U.S. Sun under anonymity, to push for the removal of any event happening in the Seine due to the bad water.

“It’s insane that the IOC and the organisation of the Olympics had that idea, and are now pushing to have the opening ceremony and some competitions in the Seine,” the employee said.

Olympics are coming back to France this month, the Seine’s condition has been a focal point of the city and government’s efforts, investing over 1.4 billion euros, the equivalent of $1.5 billion, since 2016 in an attempt to clean it according to Sports Pro Media.

“The water is very bad, it’s full of dirt and not proper for any activity,” they continued.

“Also, the levels of chemicals, human faeces, and other dirty things are very high, so bacteria like E. coli are everywhere.”

The employee further criticised the decision, highlighting the discomfort of Amélie Ouéda Castera, the Secretary of State for Sport, who recently swam in the Seine for a public relations operation.

Then on Wednesday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also recently took a dip in the Seine to demonstrate its safety, accompanied by Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and top government official Marc Guillaume.

Hidalgo’s swim was originally postponed due to the parliamentary elections taking place in the country at the time.

However, other concerns were also raised on the initial date of her scheduled swim.

As of July 17, bacteria levels in the Seine were reported to be 852 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres on Tuesday, which is down from Monday’s reading of 1,459.

The hashtag ”jechiedanslaSeine,“ which translates to “I’m pooping in the Seine,” was trending on social media as people were threatening to protest the Olympics and her PR stunt in the water by defecating upstream.

But despite the money invested by France and its best efforts to showcase the improvements, daily water quality tests in early June still indicated unsafe levels of E. coli.

“Look at the face that [Castera] had the other day when she swam for a minute in the water,” the employee urged.

“She wasn’t comfortable at all because she knows that it’s dirty water, that she got in contact with some dirty and bad bacteria.”

These concerns were echoed by an anonymous member of the Olympic organising committee, who told The U.S. Sun that the decision to hold events in the Seine was “horrible,” but doubts there will be “any step back” at this point.

“Doing the opening ceremony and some competitions in the Seine River is by far the most stupid and irresponsible idea from the government, the IOC, and the Paris city hall,” the Olympic organiser said.

The most recent tests have still shown that troubling levels of bacteria like E. coli. remain present in the water.

Activists have pushed for the removal of any event happening in the Seine due to the bad water.

“We all know that this water is filthy, disgusting, whatever bad word you want to use,” they said.

“The sewers of most of the city end up there, the water is nasty, that is not proper to jump and swim in there,” they continued.

“The 1.4 billion spent to clean the water was a waste, and people are very upset that this kind of money got thrown out of the window because Macron and the city of Paris had that fantasy, that dream.”

The city’s clean-up plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

However, the persistent pollution and heavy rainfalls that have hit the city have exacerbated the problem, leading to fears of health issues among athletes who have to get in the water.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission