Olympics: Why Paris still can't fix the Seine's poop problem

For an Olympics meant to highlight the best of Paris, open-water swimming events in the Seine are supposed to be the crown jewels.

Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923 because of pollution, but since 2018, France has spent €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to make the river clean enough to swim again. The 2024 Olympics were to showcase this effort, punctuated by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo taking a dip herself before the Games began.

But the postponement of the Triathlon over water conditions has highlighted the Seine's persistent poop problem. DW's Jonathan Crane and Dana Sumlaji went into the sewers to discover the extent of the issue and whether the river can be clean enough for the Olympic events it is set to stage.