The Seine River runs for 777 kilometers, passes through Paris and flows into the English Channel. Since the Olympic Games in 1900, the Seine has been the site of competition, but due to pollution, bathing has been prohibited since 1923, exactly a century.
After months of debate and controversy over whether the Seine will be clean enough for Olympic athletes to compete in, officials have deemed the water safe for swimming after a test two days ago, which is the last moment before the dates of the event.
The result showed that conditions were favorable for the continuation of the men’s and women’s triathlon races, with the men’s race having already been postponed a day earlier due to water quality. This week’s latest water analyzes were evaluated as compliant with the required standards, which made it possible to hold the competition, the world media reported.
The problem was caused by the rains, which we also saw during the opening of the Olympics. Heavy rains affected the water quality, which led to the cancellation of training, but the organizers made significant efforts to ensure water safety in a by no means simple way. An investment of around $1.5 billion in cleaning the river was aimed at making the river suitable for the Games. Key initiatives, such as the construction of rainwater storage, have prevented significant discharges of pollution.
All in all, the first competitions in the Seine took place on July 31, 2024, and triathletes swam in the river, thanks to large investments in cleaning the river.
The Seine will continue to be the site of Olympic competitions, and the whole discourse in the public sphere related to the topic of cleaning the river sent a message that clean water resources are a topic that must not be ignored.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
