Paris Olympics 2024 Update: Not Seine, France Makes Traveling Harder For Tourists Coming to the Big Games

La rivière: that’s what rings in the aesthetic of most French individuals when they hear the name of the Seine. The river finds such a title because the lovers claim it to be feminine, an epitome of calmness and beauty. But in the last few months, the title has faced the most danger because of the debate over its cleanliness and the huge budget that was needed to bring back the turquoise nature in its muddy water.

Especially before the Paris Olympics 2024, the awakening of those facts seemed to be natural. Later, several processes were followed to work on the promise of making the Seine clean. Meanwhile, the authority has earned a few positive results on that. But the relief proves to be short-lived as new debates take over. 

On July 18, Grant Marek from SFGATE reported that the French authorities had increased security on the perimeter of the Seine River, making the situation ‘chaotic’. Thousands of tourists and commuters were stopped at the checkpoints by security, barring the route. As per the security officials, only those who had the pre-approved QR code to travel within the Seine River perimeter could take the routes.

However, at the checkpoints, no arrangement was made for allotting the security passes. In such a complicated scene, only the two bridge crossings located on either end of the river could be used, which are miles apart. That added to the hassle. 

Although, in some places, few gaps could be seen between the blockades. That increased the huff-puff as several locals tried to cross through it. But steady relief was far from being achieved, and the problem doubled for the tourists, who had no idea about the available routes. Furthermore, when they resorted to Google or Apple Maps, the suffering only increased. 

As per the opinion of several ill-fated tourists, the online maps didn’t show any traffic congestion or prohibition beforehand. So, they followed the route with zero knowledge. Apart from that, the blockade has also covered the monuments around the Seine River. That restricted the visitors’ movement around those marvels. Now, this condition will continue until July 26, as the French government and the International Olympic Committee are about to host the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on the bank of the Seine River. As per the estimation, more than 300,000 visitors, including foreign delegates, will gather at the Seine River to witness the historic inauguration. That arrangement has needed a tighter security approach, so all the procedures are being followed. Still, the activities have brought the famous river into the limelight again for unexpected reasons. But so far, the authority has tried its best to bring back the fame of the Seine. Among those, a few have turned out well. 

The Seine River manages the heartbeat of the Paris Olympics 2024 

The French government was on its toes to prove the Seine River fit enough for proposed Olympic water sports, especially after the 2023 World Triathlon Olympic Games fiasco. The river was all set to host the test event, but the swimming segment of the schedule was out of the routine because of the pollution in the river. That sent an alert to the French government to check the situation. But the arrangement fell short, as this month as well, Paris City Hall admitted the presence of “dangerous concentrations of fecal bacteria” in Seine’s water. As a result, the Olympic delegation canceled the cruise tour on the Seine. Since then, a lot of effort has been carried out by the authorities to make the river clean enough. 

At first, French sports minister Amelia Oudea-Castera and then Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo swam through the river, proving the healthiness of the river. However, the debates are still very much in place. And the latest blockade will only add to further ones. But no one said that there would be an Olympic Games without any debate. Right? What’s your opinion? Let us know.