Waters opens to swimmers again after a ban on the century

The Seine River in Paris has again opened publicly to swimmers for the first time since 1923 after a ban of the century.

The seasonal opening of the swimming seine is regarded as a key heritage at the Paris Olympics 2024, when the swimmers and trianges of the open waters competed in their waters, which were specially cleaned for the event.

On Saturday morning at 08:00 local time (07:00 BST), several dozen swimmers arrived before the opening and dived into the water when they managed to do so.

There are three designated areas for public swimming in the Seine – one near the Eiffel Tower, another near the Cathedral of Notre Dame and Third in East Paris.

The areas have changing rooms, beach -style showers and furniture that allow up to 300 people to expose their towels.

By the end of August, the three swimming areas will be open free of charge for each with a minimum of 10 or 14 years, depending on the location.

Rescuers will also be present by following those in the river.

The promise of lifting the swim ban dates back to 1988, when the then mayor of Paris and the future President Jacques Chirak first advocated for her turn.

Improvements over the last 20 years have already led to a sharp decrease in faecal bacteria entering the river.

For 100 years, swimming has been banned in the river due to water pollution levels, which can make people sick.

Prior to the Olympics last summer, more than 1.4 billion euros ($ 1.2 billion; $ 1.6 billion) was invested in the seine cleaning.

But at the beginning of the games there were doubts about whether the River Seine would be ready for the Olympics after it was revealed that it failed with water quality tests.

Organizers blame the rainfall for increased pollution, which limits athletes’ capabilities to train for triathlon, marathon swimming and paracelon.

Last July, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and other members of the Olympic Committee entered the Seine to prove that it was safe to swim.