Parisians joined the city’s mayor for a dip in the River Seine, which has been cleaned up in time for the Olympics.
It is the first time in about a century people have been allowed to swim in the river, with it set to host open-water swimming and triathalon events as part of the games – which begin next week.
There were doubts as to whether the River Seine would be ready for the Olympics after it was revealed last month that it had failed water quality tests.
But on Wednesday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other members of the Paris Olympic committee went into the Seine to prove that it was safe to swim in.
BBC correspondent Hugh Schofield was among those who took the plunge.
