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Amelie Oudea-Castera was accompanied by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be host nation France’s flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on 28 August. read more
 "French sports minister swims in Seine amid doubts over river’s cleanliness")
French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera and Paralympics Triathlon gold medalist Alexis Hanquinquant took a dip at the Seine less than a fortnight before the Paris Olympics get underway. AP
Paris: French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes the river will be clean enough for competitors at the Paris Olympics which start in less than a fortnight.
The 46-year-old was accompanied by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be host nation France’s flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on 28 August.
Weather permitting, the river will be the star of the opening ceremony of the Olympics on 26 July and will then host the triathlon and the open water swimming.
Explained | Will River Seine be suitable for swimming at the Paris Olympics?
Oudea-Castera, dressed in a body suit, slipped as she entered the Seine, but stole the thunder from Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, with whom she has notoriously poor relations.
Hidalgo had flagged up that she would swim on 17 July if the water quality was good enough.
Oudea-Castera seized her opportunity — exclusively filmed by news channel BFMTV — a day after Paris city hall said the Seine has been clean enough to swim in for most of the past 12 days.
The quality of the water met the required standard for “11 days or 10 days” of the past 12, city hall official Pierre Rabadan told broadcaster RFI.
The Paris region has seen an unseasonably heavy amount of rain over recent weeks, which has raised the Seine’s pollution levels as untreated sewage is washed into the river.
“We hope the weather will get a little better, but we are not worried about the possibility of holding the competitions,” Rabadan said. “They will take place.”
Read | Opening rehearsal on fast-flowing Seine set for July 16
He added, however, that there may have to be “modifications”, without giving details.
Weather in Paris is forecast to be mostly dry over the final 14 days before the start of the Games.
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English (US) ·