PARIS – Parisians rushed for a dip in the Seine on Saturday as authorities opened the river to public swimming for the first time since 1923 after an extensive clean-up operation spurred by it being used in 2024 as a venue in the Paris Olympics.

A 95-year-old Parisian was among the first to take the plunge at a newly opened swim zone in the city’s east.

“I’m so happy! I’ve dreamed of swimming in the Seine for years,” said Ingrid, who declined to give her last name, as she stepped carefully into the warm water wearing a turquoise-blue swimsuit.

Three sites along the banks of the Seine in the city will be able to welcome over 1,000 swimmers daily until Aug 31, local officials said, to the delight of the Parisians and visitors who were among the first to take the plunge.

“Really nice, I’m impressed, surprised,” said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris. “I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower.”

“The water is clean, it’s warm, it’s clear. There is a bit of algae, but that’s normal,” said 51-year-old Karine. “Come here everybody, it’s great!.”

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo looked on as people of all ages arrived for the 8am opening of the Bras Marie swimming zone, snapping on swim caps and goggles as they prepared to dive in and celebrate the long-awaited return of bathing in the Seine.

“It’s a childhood dream to have people swimming in the Seine,” said Hidalgo at the swim zone in the city’s historic centre near Ile Saint-Louis.

“Look at how happy everyone is,” she said with a smile.

The reopening of the Seine for public swimming follows efforts by authorities to improve its water quality so it could be used for Olympic events last summer.

Investments included connecting tens of thousands of homes to the sewer system, upgrading water treatment facilities, a...