The test swim in the Rhone, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled due to storms. No new tests are planned until next year.
Le Figaro Lyon
Swimming in the Rhône, planned for Sunday on the occasion of the “Entre Rhône et Saône” festival, fell through. The storms predicted that day got the better of this first experiment, which had received a green light from the hygiene services thanks to the latest positive water analyses.
Thus, Lyon, which wanted to get ahead of Paris, and the promise of Anne Hidalgo and Emmanuel Macron to bathe in the Seine, will have to wait before allowing its inhabitants to paddle in the river. Contacted, the city indicates “want to propose this experiment again if the conditions are met”. But not before 2025 during the next Entre Rhône et Saône festival.
“Very high demand on the subject”
Last May, when announcing this swim, which will ultimately not take place, the city explained this test by “the very strong demand on the subject.” “With this experiment, we will be able to learn lessons in order to renew it and perhaps extend it in the future”, declared the first deputy (Europe Écologie-Les Verts) Audrey Henocque. In the long term, the town hall could consider a flag system, as can be found on French beaches, with a color code according to the quality of the water.
In Paris, Anne Hidalgo could swim in the Seine around July 15, if the water quality allows it. Without good water quality, the holding of the triathlon event during the Olympic Games in August could be compromised.
