Paris 2024 triathlon: Would you swim in the Seine?

Not every visitor to the bridge on the eve of the men’s triathlon was fussed by the cleanliness issue, with some saying they would consider jumping into the river come what may – provided the weather was warm enough.

One man from Brazil said that was simply what he and his compatriots did.

“In my city, São Paulo, it’s not clean either,” he admitted.

But a number of Parisians agreed that a clean and swimmable river would be an exciting part of the Olympic legacy.

Danielle, a university professor, said she would “absolutely” swim in the Seine.

“I have wanted to do it for a long time,” she said with a grin.

For one man named Damien, maintaining the cleanliness was “a big project”, but one worth pursuing.

“It’s a good opportunity for all Parisians,” he said.

Testing of the water continues to be carried out daily.

Lambis Konstantinidis, operations director for Paris 2024, said there were several back-up plans in place, including the use of contingency days.

Downgrading the triathlons into duathlons – and scrapping the swimming entirely – would only be considered in a “really, really extreme case”, he told the BBC on Monday.

Additional reporting by Lauren Turner