Macron Says he'll Swim in Seine as he Inspects Paris' New Olympic Village

France's President Emmanuel Macron, center left, and General Manager of Solideo Nicolas Ferrand, left, visits the Paris 2024 Olympic village during its inauguration ceremony in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, center left, and General Manager of Solideo Nicolas Ferrand, left, visits the Paris 2024 Olympic village during its inauguration ceremony in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
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Macron Says he'll Swim in Seine as he Inspects Paris' New Olympic Village

France's President Emmanuel Macron, center left, and General Manager of Solideo Nicolas Ferrand, left, visits the Paris 2024 Olympic village during its inauguration ceremony in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, center left, and General Manager of Solideo Nicolas Ferrand, left, visits the Paris 2024 Olympic village during its inauguration ceremony in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron boldly promised to swim in the River Seine being cleaned up for the Paris Olympics as he toured the new complex that will house athletes on Thursday.
Macron cited pollution-reduction in the Seine as one of the Games' positive long-term impacts. He noted “extraordinary” public-funded investments being poured into making the river — largely off limits to bathers since 1923 — swimmable again.
Asked by a journalist whether he would bathe in it, Macron replied, “Me, yes, I'll go."
But he refrained from saying when.
“I'm not going to give you the date: There's a risk you'll be there,” he said.
Regardless of whether he does indeed don trunks, Macron's visit to the future high-security Olympic village served to highlight how the Paris Games are helping to transform some disadvantaged neighborhoods in the French capital's poorer suburbs, The Associated Press reported.
The eco-friendly village led to nearly 2,000 jobs being created, with 1,136 going to local residents. It cost about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), most of it investment by property developers but also including 646 million euros ($700 million) from public funds. The Olympic construction company, Solideo, transferred the village to Paris Games organizers on Thursday, symbolically handing over a large key, with Macron watching.
“It's a very big day,” Macron said. “It's a demonstration that France is a nation of builders.”
In a city repeatedly hit by deadly extremist attacks, security is the biggest challenge for organizers as they ready Paris for the July 26-Aug. 11 Games and Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics.
“Obviously, it's been an obsession since the beginning.” Macron said. “We have a colossal amount of work being done in advance."



Norris Edges Piastri for Pole as McLaren Lock Out Melbourne Front Row

15 March 2025, Australia, Melbourne: British Formula One driver Lando Norris of team McLaren races during the Qualifying session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
15 March 2025, Australia, Melbourne: British Formula One driver Lando Norris of team McLaren races during the Qualifying session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Norris Edges Piastri for Pole as McLaren Lock Out Melbourne Front Row

15 March 2025, Australia, Melbourne: British Formula One driver Lando Norris of team McLaren races during the Qualifying session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
15 March 2025, Australia, Melbourne: British Formula One driver Lando Norris of team McLaren races during the Qualifying session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Lando Norris clinched pole position on Saturday for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri as McLaren fired a warning shot to their rivals.

In scorching hot conditions at Melbourne's Albert Park, world champion Max Verstappen came third in tense qualifying.

Mercedes' George Russell will keep Red Bull's four-time world champion company on the second row. Lewis Hamilton will start in eighth on his Ferrari debut.

"It's the perfect way to start the year. A big congrats to the team, everyone has done an amazing job to start with a one-two," said Norris after his 10th career pole, according to AFP.

"But it is just quali, right? Let's see tomorrow," he added.

"The car is extremely quick. When you put it together it is unbelievable, but it is hard to put it together.

"I'm never going to get ahead of myself, I'm confident the car is in a good place but we have never run it in the wet."

The forecast for Sunday's race is cooler temperatures and rain.

Norris eclipsed his rivals with a flying lap of one minute 15.096 seconds on soft tyres, 0.084sec ahead of Piastri.

"Pretty happy, great to start the year on the front row," said Piastri.

"Pretty happy with how qualifying went but just not quite enough in Q3, but it is a long season so a good start," added the Australian.

"Maybe left a little bit on the table."

No Australian driver has won their home race since Alan Jones in 1980, but that was a non-championship race before Australia was added to the F1 calendar in 1985.

Verstappen, who was the pole-sitter in 2023 and 2024, was three-tenths behind Norris.

But his rookie teammate Liam Lawson, who replaced the underperforming Sergio Perez, failed to get out of Q1.

- 'Quali laps are exciting' -

Mercedes' teenager Kimi Antonelli was another big Q1 casualty after gravel damaged the floor of his car.

"It was good, yesterday was quite tough so for us to be P3 today, I'd take that," said Verstappen.

"Quali laps are exciting, good grip around here and some fast corners."

Verstappen is chasing a second win in Australia after his 2023 victory to kickstart his bid for a fifth consecutive world title, a feat only Michael Schumacher has achieved.

RB's Yuki Tsunoda will start a surprise fifth alongside the Williams of Alex Albon.

Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Hamilton were a disappointing seventh and eighth with Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz in the other Williams filling out the top 10.

Last year in Melbourne it was a Ferrari one-two with Sainz holding off teammate Leclerc for the win, ahead of Norris.

"It isn't quite where we wanted to be but overall I'm satisfied with the progress we have made over the past two days," said Hamilton.

"We didn't expect to be eight or nine tenths behind pole but given this is a weekend of firsts for me, I didn't underestimate how steep the learning curve would be."

Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll have struggled for pace all weekend and failed to get through Q2 alongside Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, RB's Isack Hadjar and Alpine's Jack Doohan.

Haas's Ollie Bearman failed to set a time in Q1 and was eliminated with teammate Esteban Ocon, Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, Lawson and Antonelli.

Briton's Bearman has endured a horror weekend, smashing into the barriers in first practice on Friday and unable to take part in the second session.

He skidded into the gravel Saturday on his first lap in third practice, before reporting his gearbox was "broken" without completing a lap in qualifying.