France, May 17 -- One year after the Seine took centre stage at the Paris Olympic Games, hosting open water swimming and triathlon events,public swimming is set to return to the river - for the first time in more than a century.

Fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities are to allow the public to swim in the Seine from 5 July at three points in the river, which is now deemed safe for a dip.

Parisians will be able to take the plunge at Bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Parisand at Bercy in the east.

"It was an extraordinary moment [in 2024], but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo at a press conference."Making th...