From July 26, Paris will be in the global spotlight, during the Olympic Games. One event in particular is the subject of criticism, namely that of open water swimming, which must take place in the Seine. While the quality of the capital’s river is constantly called into question, Anne Hidalgo reiterated her comments on the subject on Tuesday April 30 during the inauguration of the Georges Vallerey swimming pool, in the 10th arrondissement of the city.
The video extract was notably broadcast in the show C to you, on France 5 this Thursday, May 2. The mayor of Paris, annoyed by persistent concerns, clarified things. “I know, there are still lots of skeptical people, who go gnagnagna, gnagnagna… So all the gnagnagnas, I tell you, yes, we are going to swim”, she said firmly, before expressing her pride at the idea of soon seeing athletes swimming in the Seine: “So get ready to say: she did it, they did it! And we’re working around Olympic week to prepare for this dive.” Anne Hidalgo should not be content with seeing athletes bathe in the Parisian river since she assured that she would go into the water herself, probably during the month of June, near the Île de la Cité.
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As for President Emmanuel Macron, he will probably be in solidarity with the mayor of Paris since he himself declared that water was “own” and that he too would bathe there soon. He will not be able to count on the support of his Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, who preferred to shy away, on April 28 on the BFMTV set, assuring that the temperature of the Seine will probably not be high enough to so he can put on his swimsuit. In any case, he did not make empty promises like the former head of state Jacques Chirac did, who had fun, in the 1990s, when he was mayor of Paris, at ensure that he would swim there to prove that the river was sufficiently depolluted.
Article written with the collaboration of 6Medias
Photo credits: France 5 screen capture