٠٠:٠٥:٠٢Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said she has 'been crying with happiness' over the 2024 Olympics's success during a press conference in Paris on Friday.
"Ten years of work, 15 days plus 15 days of happiness, and perhaps 20 years of heritage – this is what we are experiencing and preparing for," she stated, emphasising that the Seine river, although many did not believe it would be possible, is "decontaminated, will remain clean, and we will bathe; the entire population will bathe in the Seine."
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over 100 years due to pollution, but the Paris Games invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the clean-up. It includes a giant underground water storage basin, sewer renovations, and wastewater treatment upgrades.
Hidalgo expressed that, as Mayor of Paris, she is proud "to see that Paris, this extraordinary city, has regained its place in the hearts of the entire planet," and the Olympic and Paralympic Games help to accelerate the transformations Paris has experienced.
She went on to say that she is working on the issue of homelessness in American cities with Karen Bass, Los Angeles mayor, and will 'continue in the next two years to support and help' Los Angeles, a host city of the next summer Olympics scheduled to take place in 2028.
Deputy Mayor of Paris for Olympic and Paralympic Games Pierre Rabadan shared that the week before the opening ceremony "was the most complicated, given the security. And then, the tone of the last few months has not helped encourage people to come at this time as well."
However, he continued that despite the difficulties, the number of visits to Paris rose by 20 percent compared to a usual summer since the beginning of the Olympic Games.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, running from July 26 to August 11, officially ended with a closing ceremony on Sunday. The Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8.
'I've been crying with happiness' - Hidalgo hails Paris Olympics success, urges 'entire population' to bathe in Seine
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said she has 'been crying with happiness' over the 2024 Olympics's success during a press conference in Paris on Friday.
"Ten years of work, 15 days plus 15 days of happiness, and perhaps 20 years of heritage – this is what we are experiencing and preparing for," she stated, emphasising that the Seine river, although many did not believe it would be possible, is "decontaminated, will remain clean, and we will bathe; the entire population will bathe in the Seine."
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over 100 years due to pollution, but the Paris Games invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the clean-up. It includes a giant underground water storage basin, sewer renovations, and wastewater treatment upgrades.
Hidalgo expressed that, as Mayor of Paris, she is proud "to see that Paris, this extraordinary city, has regained its place in the hearts of the entire planet," and the Olympic and Paralympic Games help to accelerate the transformations Paris has experienced.
She went on to say that she is working on the issue of homelessness in American cities with Karen Bass, Los Angeles mayor, and will 'continue in the next two years to support and help' Los Angeles, a host city of the next summer Olympics scheduled to take place in 2028.
Deputy Mayor of Paris for Olympic and Paralympic Games Pierre Rabadan shared that the week before the opening ceremony "was the most complicated, given the security. And then, the tone of the last few months has not helped encourage people to come at this time as well."
However, he continued that despite the difficulties, the number of visits to Paris rose by 20 percent compared to a usual summer since the beginning of the Olympic Games.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, running from July 26 to August 11, officially ended with a closing ceremony on Sunday. The Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said she has 'been crying with happiness' over the 2024 Olympics's success during a press conference in Paris on Friday.
"Ten years of work, 15 days plus 15 days of happiness, and perhaps 20 years of heritage – this is what we are experiencing and preparing for," she stated, emphasising that the Seine river, although many did not believe it would be possible, is "decontaminated, will remain clean, and we will bathe; the entire population will bathe in the Seine."
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over 100 years due to pollution, but the Paris Games invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the clean-up. It includes a giant underground water storage basin, sewer renovations, and wastewater treatment upgrades.
Hidalgo expressed that, as Mayor of Paris, she is proud "to see that Paris, this extraordinary city, has regained its place in the hearts of the entire planet," and the Olympic and Paralympic Games help to accelerate the transformations Paris has experienced.
She went on to say that she is working on the issue of homelessness in American cities with Karen Bass, Los Angeles mayor, and will 'continue in the next two years to support and help' Los Angeles, a host city of the next summer Olympics scheduled to take place in 2028.
Deputy Mayor of Paris for Olympic and Paralympic Games Pierre Rabadan shared that the week before the opening ceremony "was the most complicated, given the security. And then, the tone of the last few months has not helped encourage people to come at this time as well."
However, he continued that despite the difficulties, the number of visits to Paris rose by 20 percent compared to a usual summer since the beginning of the Olympic Games.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, running from July 26 to August 11, officially ended with a closing ceremony on Sunday. The Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8.