Catherine Field: France Correspondent on whether the use of the Seine in the Paris Olympics will be seen as a mistake

The grand dreams of using the Seine in the Paris Olympics may have been better left as a dream. 

A massive effort was made to clean up the river, which had bacteria levels above what could safely be swum in, so it could be used in the triathlons as well as the mixed team relay. 

France Correspondent Catherine Field said that it’s already being seen as a mistake, simply because people now know what it takes to get the Seine clean. 

She said that France likely wanted the shots of swimmers in the Seine, but are now regretting it. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In France, Catherine, feel very good morning to you. Good
morning mate, got yourself a good dose of mushall mania, yet,
are you susceptible to mushall mania?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Leon Lapousson they're also calling him Leon the fash. Yeah,
everyone's going absolutely crazy about this guy. He really has
a touch to touched is a very patriotic nerve view.
It's what four gold medals, one bronze, only twenty two
years old, didn't think he'd become an Olympic swimmer like

(00:31):
his parents were, went off to Arizona. Everyone just loves
him because he's very humble, very good on TV was
quotes afterwards, and it has kind of lifted everyone's spirits
because France isn't traditionally very good at the swimming and we're,
you know, France is heading into a bit of a
lack of medals as we go into the track and

(00:52):
field events.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
I don't want to upset you in any way, Catherine,
but I was watching a little bit of the cycling yesterday,
and the cycling right through the sea to Refrance, and
it looks beautiful and beautiful aerial shots, but I was
astonished at the amount of graffiti on the buildings it
looks like it's just been let loose by thugs at
night with spray cans. Is that fair or unfair? Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Lovefair, mite, love fair?

Speaker 1 (01:16):
I think okay, all right, just seeing a lot of
painting on the side of the walls. By the way.
The other thing, once again, I don't want to upset you,
the triathlon, the mixed relay. Do you think, in the
fullness of time the whole scene thing will be seen
as a bit of a mistake.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
I think it's already been seen as a mistake, mate,
simply because we now know more about what it takes
to get the sand clean. We all know more about
bacteria levels. If you'd asked the basic prision a year
even sounds ago, would you swim? As they've said no,
they'll probably still say no today. That most people now
know all about how you measure bacteria in the water,

(01:57):
and they all seem to know, well, the only testing
for two particular types of bacteria, and rivers have lots
of other bacteria in it, So they really were a
hostage to fortune. On that one might But as you've
been seeing, you you've got the cycling went right through
the streets and up and down the hills of Manmatre,
and they just really wanted to have those shots of

(02:19):
swimmers in the Seine, and I think they really are
regretting it. It's also because you people have been looking
at the shots from the nautical place right out in
the east of Paris and man and they've been looking
at this fabulous area that they've got set out there
for the rowing, the canoeing and the kayaking and saying, well,
you know, we actually did have somewhere else who could

(02:41):
stage the triathlon.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Yeah, exactly. And then we come to the boxing. How
big a story is the boxing and all that surrounded it.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
This is a strange one, isn't it, Mate, Because you
do have these two boxes who are competing in the
women's section, and the question has been over fairness, safety,
over and usion. The IOC says it has its own
rules on eligibility. The International Boxing Association says they have
their own rules. Now, of course, the IBA are no

(03:11):
longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee, so there is
that it Certainly it has come out of nowhere, and
I think the problems for the IOC MIC has been
they just are not when they come out and talk
to the press about it every morning. They don't talk
about the signs of it. They keep coming out and saying, well,
that's what it says on their passport. There was a

(03:33):
press conference here in Paris on Monday morning the International
Boxing Association, which was absolutely disgraceful. It was completely crazy.
The lights didn't work, the microphones didn't work. There are
a few sort of loud bangs, and then the president
of the association came on the line from Moscow. It

(03:53):
said all sorts of very derogatory remarks about the IOC,
and they didn't actually come up with any evidence about
to boxers who are now almost certain to get medals
at these.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Games exactly all right, we'll catch up, So I appreciate
Katherine Catherine Field out of Paris just before we leave Europe.
The if sixteens have arrived in the Ukraine, Zelenski's out
sprooking those. We don't know how many. He didn't say
how Manybody did thank those who had delivered them. And
that's the other question. They don't actually still have enough
trained pilots to fly them all. So we think they
came from Denmark, the Netherlands and the US. About sixty

(04:26):
five have been pledged, but as I say, what they
pledge and what they get a two different thing. So
that's an update on that particular part of the world
and that particular war. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
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