Drastic steps have been taken to clean up the River Seine amid concerns the Paris waterway won’t be fit to swim in during the Olympic Games due to the city’s rat population
Paris 2024 organisers have taken measures to prevent Olympic athletes from contracting a disease linked to rat urine.
Despite its reputation for stunning landmarks and exquisite cuisine, the French capital is infamous for its large rodent population. The condition of the River Seine has been a major concern in the run-up to the Games.
The river will host the marathon swimming at the Olympics and the swimming portions of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons. Doubts have been raised about the safety of swimming in the river due to the presence of bacteria found in rat urine that can lead to leptospirosis.
This illness can result in flu-like symptoms and, in severe cases, can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. Steps have been taken to clean up the city in preparation for the Games.
Since 2015, organisers have poured £1.1billion into preparing the Seine for the Olympics and ensuring a cleaner river for Parisians in the years following the Games. Meanwhile, traps have been set up to control the rat population.
“All of the Olympic sites and celebration areas were analysed [for rats] before the Games,” deputy mayor Anne-Claire Boux, who is in charge of public health, told AFP.
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“Where there were areas with lots of rats we put traps in place ahead of the Games. Ultimately, no one should aim to exterminate Paris’s rats, and they’re useful in maintaining the sewers. The point is that they should stay in the sewers.”
In a bid to demonstrate the Seine’s suitability for Olympic athletes, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim in the river last week. Minister of Sports and Games, Amelie Oudea-Castera, did the same a few days prior.
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Donning a wetsuit, Hidalgo dived into the river near her office at City Hall and the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. She was joined by Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and Marc Guillaume, the top government official for the Paris region.
“The water is very, very good. A little cool, but not so bad,” Hidalgo commented after her swim.
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