French sports minister swims in the Seine in boost for Olympics organisers
The Peninsula
Paris: French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes the river will be clean enough for competitors at the...
Paris: French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes the river will be clean enough for competitors at the Paris Olympics which start in less than a fortnight.
The 46-year-old was accompanied by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be host nation France's flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on August 28.
Weather permitting, the river will be the star of the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 and will then host the triathlon and the open water swimming.
Oudea-Castera, dressed in a body suit, slipped as she entered the Seine, but stole the thunder from Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, with whom she has notoriously poor relations.
Hidalgo had flagged up that she would swim on July 17 if the water quality was good enough.
