sport news Paris's River Seine is declared unsafe for the Olympic swimming events over ... trends now
The pollution levels in the River Seine have been found to be 'alarming' by a French water charity, just over a hundred days before it is to play host to a number of Olympic swimming events at the Paris Games.
As well as hosting a portion of the Opening Ceremony, the river that flows through the centre of the French capital is set to stage the marathon swimming events and the triathalon.
But the suitability of the venue has been called into question by the Surfrider Foundation, who have taken 14 samples from the Seine over the past six months and found the water to be potentially dangerous in all but one of their tests.
Sharing an open letter with its stakeholders, the charity stressed that they had 'rising concerns about the quality of the Seine' as well as 'the risks faced by athletes moving in contaminated water'.
Surfrider carried out their tests at the laboratory Eau de Paris alongside the environmental analysis group Analyco-Co between September 2023 and March, and concentrated on the area where the sports are set to take place - underneath the two bridges Alexandre III and Pont l'Alma.
A French water charity has found 'alarming' levels of bacteria in all but one of 14 samples taken from the Seine over the last six months
After suffering one of the wettest winters in 30 years, there are concerns over the impact of the city's sewage infrastructure (flooding from last weekend pictured)
President Emmanuel Macron is confident that the events will go ahead and has vowed to swim in the water
The measurements of E. coli and enterococci - bacteria which indicate the presence of faecal matter and which can cause serious illnesses - were found to be double and at times triple the maximum permitted amounts.
French authorities have been working hard to ensure that making the Seine swimmable is one of the lasting legacies of this summer's Olympic Games, with swimming in the river having been banned since 1923.
Over £1.2billion (€1.4bn) has been spent on upgrading the capital's sewage and storm water treatment facilities in the region over the last decade, with a major new storm water facility set to be inaugurated in April.
The city's sewage system can become overwhelmed by heavy rainfall, which can lead to untreated
