PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Olympic triathletes tested swimming in the Seine in Paris on Wednesday, 10 days after heavy rainfall caused the water quality to dip below minimum health standards and forced the cancellation of another open water competition.
The Seine is in the spotlight as the river - where swimming has long been banned - is due to be the venue for marathon swimming at next year's Olympic Games.
Blummenfelt and others were jumping in to get used to the course and the currents before an official Paris 2024 test event scheduled for Thursday.
Bathing in the Seine has been banned since 1923, with promises to restore water quality going back to 1990, when Paris mayor Jacques Chirac - later French president - vowed to make the Seine safe for swimming again.
Reporting by Yiming Woo; Writing by Ingrid Melander, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Kristian Blummenfelt, Jacques Chirac, Yiming Woo, Ingrid Melander, Pritha Sarkar
Organizations:
Paris, Triathlon, Thomson
Locations:
Seine, Paris