The countdown has finally stopped. The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony begins in a few minutes, as all eyes are on the starry affair in Paris. However, ahead of the opening ceremony, an unfortunate update came in the way, through Taylor Fritz. The American star took to social media to share glimpses of the heavy rains in the city before the opening ceremony. What is surprising to note is that the current weather conditions might affect the city’s massive $1.5 billion project for the Olympics.

Fritz took to his official Instagram handle and shared an image of him walking for the opening ceremony. The American tennis star had put on a raincoat, which was soaked in water due to the heavy rains. However, the gloomy weather has put the Olympic swimming events at risk, as the authorities had spent a huge sum to clean the river Seine.

During excess wet weather, sewage used to get accumulated in the river and contaminate it with waste. As a result, to make the river a useful venue for the Olympics, the city authorities took up the project to clean the river Seine. But today’s excessive rainfall will bring this project back to square one, with a possibility that the sewage might again seep back into the river. Further, a few minutes ago, Team USA’s flag-bearers, Coco Gauff, and LeBron James were seen walking in heavy rains for the opening ceremony.

However, this wasn’t the only trouble that the authorities faced with this huge project. Ahead of the Olympics, there was a ‘po*p protest’ by the locals to protest against the continuous sewage poisoning. However, the Paris Mayor fulfilled the promise 9 days before the start of the Games.

Paris Mayor undertakes a symbolic swim

The sewage poisoning has been a persistent issue with the river Seine. However, the city’s Mayor promised to end this by undertaking the $1.5 Billion project to clean the river. However, a month before the start of the Olympic Games, there was a campaign on social media #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin which translates to “I sh*t in the Seine on June 23.” The campaign gained traction as the project looked off-track and difficult to complete in time.

However, the Paris Mayor kept her promise and made a symbolic swim to calm the athletes and the locals about the safety of the river. She said, “We will allow Olympic events to take place and allow people to swim after. In cleaning the river, we also avoid trashing the ocean.”

With the rain coming down in full force, the local authorities will hope that their efforts don’t go down the drain. Can this weather dampen the mood of the Games? Let us know your views in the comments below.