Seine Master

“It has been the dream and promise of Paris mayors for decades and a nightmare for Olympic organisers: could the Seine be cleaned up enough to swim in and hold triathlon and other events? For the last 100 years and up until a few days ago, the answer seemed to be no. On Wednesday, however, the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, kept her promise that it would be and she would be one of the first in.” Paris mayor swims in Seine as river is cleaned up just in time for Olympics. (This cleanup and the general idea of using the Seine for watersports has been a major controversy. As political fights go, arguments over how much shit is in the water sure beat debates about whether we should remain a democracy.)