NGO Surfrider Foundation France has accused the Paris Olympics committee of hiding poor Seine quality figures.
The body has called for greater transparency from the organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics regarding river cleanliness.
In a statement released on August 8, the environmental NGO urged all parties involved in the event to make water-quality data public.
It revealed that it has been denied permission to conduct independent water-quality tests on the Seine water.
“Our last sampling took place on July 15. Since then, we have been barred from accessing the competition site. Despite our request in an open letter, the Olympics organisers have not granted us authorisation,” it said.
À notre grande stupeur, @Mediapart a publié ce mercredi 7 août un article révélant que la qualité de l’eau de la #Seine n’était suffisante que 20 % du temps depuis le lancement des JO le 26 juillet. Notre réaction ➡️ https://t.co/RvadIBQbl3 pic.twitter.com/QzHK1SaDrV
— Surfrider France (@surfriderfrance) August 8, 2024
“In order to ensure transparency of information for citizens, Surfrider is asking all parties involved in the organisation of the Paris 2024 Olympics to make all data public and to update the weekly bulletins from the Parisian administrative office,” the NGO stated.
It further requested that the data be published with clear explanations of the analytical methods used.
Surfrider condemned what it described as a lack of transparency and an attempt by the Olympics organisers to control the narrative regarding the river’s water quality.
It also noted that since the Paris Organising Committee (COJO) took over communications, the Prefecture (Parisian administrative office) has not published any data about the Seine’s water quality.
“Since 23 July, when the COJO took control of communications, the Prefecture no longer publishes any information,” the group wrote.
The NGO’s demands came after an investigative report by the left-wing media outlet Mediapart, which cast a critical light on the water quality in the Seine during the Olympics.
Eau de la Seine : les mauvais chiffres que les organisateurs des JO voulaient cacher
Mediapart publie en intégralité les résultats des prélèvements dans la Seine depuis l’ouverture des Jeux olympiques.
Enquête @Lindgaard ,@p_pascariello et @AnttonRougethttps://t.co/71OW93ZQYK
— Mediapart (@Mediapart) August 7, 2024
According to Mediapart, the river’s water quality has been “inadequate” for the majority of the Games so far.
“They [official results of the analyses] show that the quality of the Seine was sufficient for Olympic bathing only 20 per cent of the time since the launch of the Games on 26 July. When applying standards for public bathing, this figure drops to a mere 10 per cent”
Mediapart’s findings revealed that during a 10-day period from July 27 to August 5, the water quality met the World Triathlon Federation’s standards on only two days, July 30 and 31.
On other days, the levels of contamination from Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci exceeded acceptable limits, raising concerns over the safety of the athletes. The two bacteria were tested for daily at four sampling points.
While the triathlon events on July 30 and 31 appeared to meet safety standards, doubts linger about the conditions during the event on August 5.
Some athletes have expressed concerns about the river water, with Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen telling Le Soir on July 31 that she “saw and felt things you shouldn’t think about too much”.
On July 29, Brussels Signal reported that the river remained heavily polluted, despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to reduce excrement-related contaminants.
Mediapart suggested that the water conditions explained the frequent cancellations of training sessions.
On August 6, a training session was cancelled due to poor water quality, just two days before the open-water swimming events start on August 8.
That marked the fifth training session cancelled since the Games began on July 26, all due to unsuitable swimming conditions.
Amid growing criticism, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra dismissed concerns on August 8, commenting on X that the river was “nice”.
Elle est douce 😉 https://t.co/mbvjDXATzE
— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) August 8, 2024
In a symbolic gesture ahead of the Olympics, she and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine to demonstrate the water’s alleged safety. The Sport Minister posted her swimming session on X.
During a press conference on August 6, Games organisers asserted that water quality on the morning of the due race was “very good” to “good”, with E. coli levels below the unacceptable limit at all four measuring points. They provided few details to support those claims.
