Paris hosts first high‑diving competition on the Seine

Paris staged its inaugural high‑diving competition on the Seine, with athletes leaping from a 20‑metre platform beneath the Eiffel Tower. The event, part of the European Aquatics Championships that run through 16 August, marked a test of the city’s effort to reclaim the river for sport after extensive upgrades made for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Training was briefly halted on Thursday after traces of hydrocarbons were detected upstream. The French Swimming Federation treated the affected stretch, and the competition resumed on Friday, concluding with final rounds and medal events on Saturday. Deputy mayor for sport Maxime Sauvage highlighted the city’s investments in sewage prevention and storm‑water management, noting that some risk is inherent in outdoor events but that the successful return to the water demonstrates the river’s improving safety.