Paris Stages First High-Diving Competition in the Seine

Paris held its inaugural high-diving contest on the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, where athletes leapt from a 20-metre platform into the Seine with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. The competition was part of the 38th European Aquatics Championships, which run from July 31 through August 16. Training was briefly halted after traces of hydrocarbons were detected upstream, but the French Swimming Federation treated the area and the event resumed as scheduled, concluding with medal rounds on the final Saturday of the championships.

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river

For decades the Seine was viewed primarily as a conduit for commerce, tourism and logistics, and public swimming was banned in 1923 because of pollution and river traffic. After the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Paris invested €1.4 billion to clean the river, enabling public swimming to return in 2025. The high-diving event, alongside open-water swimming, signals the city’s broader ambition to transform the Seine into a venue for recreation and elite sport.

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river The Guardian

• More than 1,000 athletes are competing across five disciplines at the championships.

The Guardian

• Approximately 70,000 people used the city’s designated Seine swimming zones in July, compared with nearly 100,000 over the entire previous summer.

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river

• The €1.4 billion river-clean-up effort was financed by Paris and its partners, accelerating after the 2024 Olympics.

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river

Hundreds of spectators gathered along the riverbanks, many stopping during lunch breaks or stumbling upon the competition while strolling. Visitor Rebecca Kapogiannis, 45, from London, Ontario, said she and her daughter were surprised to find a high-diving event taking place in the river. Cynthia Matz, also visiting Paris, remarked that the public setting made the sport accessible: “Anybody can go. I don’t have to know anything about diving. I can just say, ‘This is really cool to see.’” “Anybody can go. I don’t have to know anything about diving. I can just say, ‘This is really cool to see,’” — Matz

The Guardian

• “Anybody can go. I don’t have to know anything about diving. I can just say, ‘This is really cool to see,’” — Cynthia Matz, visitor

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river

The high-diving competition will finish on August 16, after which the broader European Aquatics Championships will conclude. Paris officials plan to continue promoting the Seine as a venue for public recreation and future sporting events.

High divers take the plunge in the Seine in a new test of Paris’ reclaimed river