There are about two months left until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the alarms, within the organization, began to go off. This is due to the safety and state of the water of the Seine River, where some aquatic tests will be carried out.

France has raised all alerts and protocols in the face of possible terrorist attacks and the arrival of thousands of spectators during the Olympic Games. Private security personnel will be added to the public order forces to protect the athletes and the public who will attend the sporting event. The most delicate moment will be the opening ceremony, which will be attended by all the delegations, which will take a tour across the Seine River.

Despite the certainty of being able to sail across the Seine at the opening ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed the existence of different alternatives: “The ceremony we are planning is a world first. “We can do it and we are going to do it (…) But we have plans B and plans C and we prepare them in parallel.” One of these alternatives would be to take the ceremony to Trocadero Square, next to the Eiffel Tower.

The French government launched a few days ago a security platform that will be used in Paris 2024, which consists of a QR code that will be sent to those who request administrative verifications and that will be requested by the security forces to all people who want to access places close to where a competition is being held. This system had already been mentioned by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.

Another concern of the Paris 2024 organization is the Seine River. In recent weeks, doubts have been raised about the quality of the water, which has not been submersible for a century. Open water and triathlon events are planned for these Olympic Games.

After a study requested by the NGO Surfrider Foundation, concentrations of E coli bacteria and enterococci were detected, which indicate fecal contamination in the waters of the Seine; this presence was higher than the recommended thresholds. These bacteria could affect athletes, who would be exposed to diseases such as gastroenteritis.

French authorities have said that sewage purification has not yet begun to work, also adding that the “Sanitation Plan” is about to be completed, which will eliminate 75% of the contamination detected.

The current Olympic open water champion, Ana Marcela Cunha, called for a “plan B” and stated the following: “There were no test events last year because of this but they insist on wanting the events to be held there (… ) Sena is not made for swimming (..) I think the health of the athletes comes first.”

The NGO has asked the organization to continue sampling before and during the Olympics to have greater certainty about the state of the water.