RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian swimmer Ana Marcela Cunha, the reigning Olympic open water champion, has called on organisers of this year's Paris Games to draw up a "plan B" in case events cannot be held in the Seine due to poor water quality.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian swimmer Ana Marcela Cunha, the reigning Olympic open water champion, has called on organisers of this year's Paris Games to draw up a"plan B" in case events cannot be held in the Seine due to poor water quality.
"We need a plan B in case it's not possible to swim in the Seine," she said adding that difficulties in swimming in Paris were linked to an"infrastructure" problem.The organisers have deliberately chosen a route for the men's and women's 10-kilometre events that will showcase the beauty of the city."It's not a question of erasing the history of the Seine," she said.
With less than five months to go until the opening ceremony on Jul 26, river water quality continues to give organisers sleepless nights. Swimability of the two rivers is supposed to be one of the great legacies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games with French President Emanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo both promising to take a dip."On the day of the competition, there's not much to do," she said.
It will be quite a challenge for the seven-time world champion, who is likely to face tough opposition from Germany's Leonie Beck and the Netherlands' Sharon van Rouwendaal, gold medallist at the Rio Games in 2016.