The Olympics are in Paris this year, which, chic! And for reasons that remain slightly confusing, the city *really* wants everyone to get in the Seine, a river that—much like your ex—looks good but is kinda toxic depending on what day it is. But here's to hoping it's clean enough to frolic in, because the world's best athletes are expected to cross their fingers and hope for the best before diving in this thing. Will they come away with radioactive super powers? Unclear, but it's been a whole journey. Mostly because....
The Seine Has Historically Been...Full Of Shit
To the point where swimming in it has been banned since 1923. Here's a picture of the Seine in 1990 (she was having an off day, okay?!), when it was so polluted that it was killing local fish in the area.
But nowadays, the vibes are much more like this:
Mostly thanks to Paris' massive clean-up project to stop sewage and "industrial waste" from seeping into the river, dubbed ~The Swimming Plan~.
Paris Gave The Seine A Major Makeover
Per the New York Times, the Seine's clean-up was a "vast engineering project, costing some $1.5 billion over the past several years," which will ensure events like the triathlon and the Opening Ceremony can take place without anyone, you know, getting violently sick from drinking poop-laden water.
Apparently, the plan hinged on "thousands of new underground pipes, tanks, and pumps designed to prevent damaging bacteria from flowing into the Seine," especially during storms when everything gets backed up, so to speak.
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The Water Was Too Dangerous To Swim In, Like, Recently
Officials have been testing water in the Seine daily to make sure it's okay for athletes to swim in, and things (things = bacteria) weren't looking great as of June 23. An anonymous environmental department employee in Paris even told The Sun, “It’s insane that the IOC and the organization of the Olympics had that idea, and are now pushing to have the opening ceremony and some competitions in the Seine. The water is very bad, it’s full of dirt and not proper for any activity. Also, the levels of chemicals, human feces, and other dirty things are very high, so bacteria like E. coli are everywhere.”
Nevertheless, on July 17, Mayor Anne Hidalgo decided to risk it all and take an official swim in the river to "prove" that it's safe.
@nytimes The mayor of Paris swam in the cleaned-up Seine on Wednesday, after a $1.5 billion project to stop the flow of sewage and industrial waste into the water. The murky river will be a focal point of the Olympic Games in the city this month. #Olympics #Paris #Seine ? original sound - The New York Times
Still, some Parisians are protesting pollution of the Seine and its use this way by...threatening to poop in it. It started as a joke but quickly became not a joke, and the threats have persisted into the start of the Olympic Games.
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Will People Actually Swim in It?
That remains to be seen! At least one Team USA swimmer (Ivan Puskovitch) has raised concern, saying, "At the end of the day it's the Olympics and the safety of the athletes has to come first. It's definitely a big point of anxiety for me especially since this is my first games. The Seine is iconic and it would be amazing to say I was one of the first people to swim in it for a long time. But I would rather compete in the Olympics and have it be a place that isn't the Seine than not be able to compete at all because the Seine was the only option."
Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that swimming in dirty water can lead to unfortunate side effects, like in 2012 when "hundreds" of swimmers got sick (and four were hospitalized) after a race in the Thames that lead to "nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, or vomiting."
So, What Happens To The Seine Post-Olympics?
Apparently, the Seine will be available for regular Parisians to swim in! Per the New York Times, "Ms. Hidalgo’s plan is for the river to be used not merely for a handful of Olympic events but also, from next year, for public swimming at a few locations."
Welp. Nothing to say but good luck, Paris!
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This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
