The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, answered a question from journalists who asked if he would be able to swim in the Seine River.
“I haven’t received an invitation yet, but as soon as it comes, I’ll be happy to do it. I hope it’s not too cold.” – answered the German in an interview with DPA.
It should be noted that the waters of the Seine will be the main venue for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26, as well as the triathlon and open water swimming competitions.
Before that, environmental groups said that the water in the river does not meet sanitary standards and strongly recommended not to do any activities in it. And the Surfrider Foundation identified the presence of pathogenic bacteria.
The state has officially been swimming in the Seine since 1923, but local authorities have said that citizens will be allowed to swim in it again from 2025. This should be one of the main the Olympic legacy, said the mayor of Paris Ann Hidalgo.
On the way, she is with the President of France Emmanuel Macron and the Executive Director of the IOC Christophe Duby, amid concerns about water quality, she announced that she was willing to swim in the river.
At the same time, the head of the 2024 Games Organizing Committee Tony Estange reported that swimming as part of the triathlon competition at the Olympic Games in Paris could be canceled due to the quality of the water in the river.
Later, the authorities of the Paris region assured, before the Olympics, that the quality of water in the Seine, where several competitions will be held, will meet established safety standards.
Meanwhile, the FSB Major General had resigned Alexander Mikhailovwho was once part of the security headquarters for the 80 Olympics in Moscow, to MK about the difficulties associated with holding such a large event:
“France is not in the best position in terms of comfort and safety. They have very complicated internal political problems, exacerbated by the migration situation. As if this is not enough for them, on top of everything, the French under the leadership of Macron are also trying to interfere with the affairs of Russia and Ukraine…
I am sure that if France had the opportunity to refuse to host the Olympics without losing face, she would certainly agree to it. I assume that when the French gather at their headquarters to analyze the operational situation, assess threats and logistics systems, they will go home after work with a serious headache… Yes this level of fearsome responsibility.”
According to the expert, everyone understands very well that the opinion regarding Paris in different countries of the world is not nearly as favorable as Macron believes. In addition, sports teams from other countries are also taking big risks:
“To be honest, I don’t know what our athletes who went there count. They could be murdered at any time! Do you think the SBU is not concerned about this? Enough to remember, for example, the disaster at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, when a terrible terrorist attack took place when an entire sports team was burned …
Moreover, these were far from the most intense years, but today the situation has changed a lot! Terrorists can attack not only France, but also the national teams of other countries. So our athletes will be in great danger by entering potential enemy territory.
Regardless of the strength of the French secret services, the organizers will still have to take steps that will significantly change their perception of the Olympic Charter… If the competitions are held without viewers or if the opening and closing are shown online, so why are these Olympics needed at all? After all, this is a fun holiday! Only today is the world situation completely messed up…
There are too many problems in Paris to organize such big events! I repeat, this is dangerous not only for the French themselves, but also for our athletes.
2024-05-04 12:09:00
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