Athletes swim in the Seine during an Olympics test event on August 18, 2023.
Photo: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images
What’s stopping everything from going swimmingly? Ahead of the July 26 opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, there are still concerns that the Seine won’t be safe enough for the athletes who are supposed to dive into the river for the marathon swimming and triathlon events. Taking a dip in the Seine has, with only a few exceptions, been banned for a century. If Paris officials are to be believed, costly cleanup efforts will have sufficiently mitigated health risks posed by bacteria and pollution by the time the competitions start — and after that, too, since the plan is ultimately for the river…