[Seine River at Paris. Photo credit to Pixabay]

The Parisian government has been working hard to improve the water quality of the Seine river ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games.

Despite their efforts, the problem remains unresolved, raising concerns about the safety of holding events like the triathlon in the river.

The Seine River's water quality issue, which has been around for more than 100 years, has made it unsafe for swimming.

Before the actual Olympic triathlon events, the Olympics canceled the practice matches twice, creating uncertainty about whether than triathlon could be held.

The government has tried to clean the river by building systems that remove rainwater and sewage, with the hope of making it safe for Olympic athletes.

The French government has spent over 1 billion euros on this effort.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the French sports minister even swam in the Seine to show their confidence in the improvements.

The main structure that helps reduce water pollution is the new rainwater storage facility called the Austerlitz basin.

The basin’s capacity is about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water.

Rainy weather is predicted for June 17th and 18th, and the basin will prevent 80 percent of wastewater and rainwater.

Unfortunately, the Paris government’s efforts to fix the water problem did not improve the overall water quality.

Still, Olympic officials expressed optimism, with Etienne Thobois stating, “We are confident we’re going to be able to hold the competition. We still have a contingency plan that is in place for Friday just in case.”

In the days leading up to the events, several water quality tests were conducted to ensure the safety of the athletes.

Some of these tests showed improvement, but others indicated that pollution levels were still higher than acceptable standards.

Athletes and coaches voiced their worries, questioning whether enough had been done to make the river safe for swimming competitions.

Despite the mounting pressure, organizers decided to proceed, relying on last-minute treatments and assurances from city authorities.

Regrettably, the skeptical concerns proved to be true when the Olympic Triathlon was held on July 31st and August 5th.

Several athletes, including Claire Michel from Belgium and Vetle Bergsvik Thorn from Norway, fell ill after competing.

Michel’s illness was so severe that Belgium withdrew from the triathlon mixed relay event on August 5th.

Paris city officials claim that illnesses were not caused by the river, but many are questioning this.

How did the athletes get sick if not from the Seine’s water?

The answer remains unclear, leaving many worried about the safety of the river for future events.