(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Bloomberg's Business of Sports newsletter for the context you need on the collision of power, money and sports
For a year now, I’ve talked the ears off of everyone around me about how awesome it would be to swim in the Seine river.
Today, I did it. Twice. And it was glorious.
The water was crisp, the current surprisingly strong. The water looked murky and when I took a few strokes, I couldn’t see my hands. I also bumped twice into other swimmers. I did take some small gulps and I can say so far that my stomach feels fine.
The general mood around swimming in the Seine, which flows through the center of Paris, has been one of skepticism. There have been legitimate concerns about pollution and high bacteria levels, of course, but there have also been petulant calls on social media to take a dump in the river. Even my colleagues have asked me to make sure my health insurance plan would cover any strange new growths I might develop.
So it was refreshing today to be surrounded on the banks of the river by sheer giddiness. In front of cheering crowds and hordes of reporters, and with just nine days before the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, in a black and orange wet suit, made good on a promise to take a dip in the Seine — something one of her predecessors, the late Jacques Chirac, failed to do.
The city also invited dozens of swimmers and water polo players from the Paris region to join. Many jumped back in as soon as they’d climbed out. Several I spoke to said the water quality was just like that of any other river: it’s rare to be able to see your hands out in front of you.
Public swimming in the Seine is set to begin next summer, with three sites in Paris. I’ll see you there.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
