La Seine, Fickle Star Of The Paris Olympics 2024

The River Seine was the fickle star of the Paris Olympics, taking centre stage at the opening ceremony and open water swimming and triathlon events despite a running saga over water quality. It was under torrential rain that the Seine appeared before millions of viewers around the world on July 26 for a cheeky and controversial opening ceremony. "Dantesque conditions," was how Games chief Tony Estanguet summed up the unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, the first to take place outside the main stadium.

"Organising a ceremony on the Seine is not easier than doing it in a stadium... but it has more punch," Estanguet said.

"It is the spirit of Paris which has mingled with the Olympic spirit," said ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly.

Winding its way through the centre of Paris, past famed attractions such as the Invalides, Place de la Concorde, and the Grand Palais, the river sparkled.

It was a route deliberately chosen to showcase the beauty of Paris.

It was also politically symbolic: swimming has been banned in the Seine since 1923 but various Paris mayors have vowed to clean it up.

But due to summer rains and storms, the water quality was not always up to standard.

Of 11 days of events and training scheduled in its murky waters, only five got the green light.

The river remained dogged by pollution problems despite a 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) upgrade to improve the Paris sewerage and water treatment system.

Photos of triathletes diving from the Alexandre III bridge into the Seine will nevertheless remain some of the most iconic of the Paris Games.

"It was a bit chaotic," an organising committee source admitted to AFP.

Belgian Claire Michel fell sick after the women's triathlon, resulting in her team later