The president of the organizing committee for the Olympic Games, Tony Estanguet, estimated Wednesday on France Inter that we will “see more clearly in mid-July” about the quality of the water in the Seine which is not yet swimmable, i.e. fifteen days before the opening of the Olympics.
The very rainy weather has thwarted preparations for the Olympics for a month. “We were not spared by the weather conditions”launched the triple Olympic champion one month before the opening ceremony on the Seine on July 26. “It seems to be improving a little, we will see more clearly in mid-July”, he said. In addition to the opening ceremony, the triathlon and open water swimming events will take place in the Seine. “This is one of the things we are monitoring closely, we always knew that the water quality would not be there until July 2024”, he said. The heavy rains of recent weeks have contaminated the water and the strong flow of the river, stirring up bacteria, does not make it possible to achieve the health standards required by international sports federations.
The prefect of Ile-de-France, Marc Guillaume, warned on Wednesday that the river would not be swimmable at the beginning of July. The high flow of the Seine, rising to more than 650 cubic meters per second, compared to 100 to 150 in summer, prevented a rehearsal of the opening ceremony from taking place on Monday morning. The organizers and the authorities, town hall and regional prefecture, have their noses on the weather and the data of the river, the flow but also the height.
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Also a guest of France Inter, the artistic director of the ceremonies, Thomas Jolly summed up: “If the heavens are with us, then it will be very beautiful”. The parade of delegations will take place on the Seine and the artistic show, a well-kept secret, will take place on the “docks, bridges and roofs”, he said. Asked about the prospect of a change of government, Tony Estanguet said that “Cojo will continue to work with the new teams in place if they change”. “We can no longer change the project, things are so far advanced, we have to see it through to the end and I want to believe in Republican continuity”he said.
“We are not completely naive, we know what is happening in our country and in the world, we see tensions, somewhat worrying situations. Precisely, let’s fight so that the Olympic Games are this space of peace, fraternity, sharing, emotions, celebration., he said. Operational tests are underway at the Olympic sites, such as Tuesday at the Stade de France for athletics. “We have no alert about delays”he said.
