HEALTH CALLS

The Health Challenge

In 2017, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, emphasized a crucial aspect of the city's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics: the Seine River would play a central role in the games, including hosting the historic opening ceremony, the first of its kind to take place outside a stadium. Initially, French officials stated there was no alternative plan, and they announced that open water swimming events would occur in the Seine. The river flows past some of Paris's most iconic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame. However, swimming in the Seine has been prohibited for a century due to pollution, as the river often experiences sewage overflow during heavy rainfall when the city's underground sewer systems become overwhelmed. Hidalgo even expressed her willingness to swim in the Seine prior to the games, a sentiment echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron. They expressed confidence in the extensive underground infrastructure project developed near the river, designed to minimize contamination during the open water swimming events. Nevertheless, the triathlon, paratriathlon, and marathon swimming events faced the risk of last-minute cancellations due to water quality concerns. Similar issues arose during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, both of which ultimately proceeded successfully, and Paris aims to achieve the same outcome. However, the effort to clean the Seine has encountered challenges; a preliminary event scheduled for August 2023 was canceled after water analysis revealed an unacceptable level of E. coli. This bacterium, which originates from the intestines of warm-blooded animals, serves as a strong indicator of recent fecal contamination, posing serious health risks. For an open water swim event to proceed, water analysis reports must be submitted no more than 48 hours before the competition, with E. coli levels not exceeding 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.