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Swimming

10 facts about amazing French olympic swimmer Léon Marchand

A swimming dynasty, a love of anime and an ‘average’ body and more about the young French sporting legend

French, English and Irish swim team sets new Channel record

The team - including French ‘seal’ Stève Stievenart - withstood water temperatures of just 7-9C

‘I hit rock bottom, learned to swim and then swam the Channel’

A childhood dream of swimming the English Channel got Stève Stievenart through divorce and depression

news

Second sewage leak cancelled another try at Olympic trials in Seine

Investigations are underway into how this occurred - and how to stop it happening again ahead of the 2024 Paris Games

10 beautiful public swimming pools to cool off in in France

The Piscine Molitor is a breathtaking Art Déco monument, but it is expensive to visit - however there are many public pools across France that are more accessible, and just as beautiful, to cool off in

Which fish is biting (a few) holidaymakers on France’s southern coast?

The 22-toothed triggerfish is known to bite to defend its territory during the summer mating season and is being blamed but experts say it is probably not guilty

Fears over safety at Paris Olympics after Seine swimming race scrapped

The cancellation was caused by an overflow of sewage into the Parisian river

Watch: Commotion as shark spotted near beach in southern France

Lifeguards banned anyone from going in the sea for an hour as they investigated the sighting

Tan-through swimwear makes a splash in France

A couple who spend most of their time surfing have developed what they claim is the first swimwear in France that lets you tan through it

What approval must I get to install an indoor swimming pool in France?

When building an indoor swimming pool in France, you may need local authority authorisation depending on the size and location of the pool

Which beaches should you avoid in France this summer?

The water quality at the vast majority of French beaches is deemed excellent. But there is still a small number to steer clear of

British man drowns after being caught in riptide in south-west France

Local authorities have urged swimmers to ‘exercise extreme caution’ in the Atlantic Ocean

Jellyfish back on French beaches: where are they, what to do if stung?

Thousands have been spotted in recent days and experts say climate change is likely to make them more of a common sight

‘Swimming in the Seine will be fitting legacy for Paris Olympics’

Paris 2024 money means we will soon be able to swim past the Eiffel Tower, writes columnist Nabila Ramdani

France continues its free summer swimming lessons for children

Classes aim to help four to 12-year-olds gain competency in water, with studies showing that 25% of drowning incidents involve children under six. Here’s how to book a place

Drowning fears rise after Covid halts French school swimming lessons

This summer could see a spike in the number of drownings as the country emerges from lockdowns that closed pools and prevented children getting swimming lessons

Danger of hidden currents for sea swimmers in southwest France

A campaign is being launched to warn about the risks of baïnes - calm looking patches of sea common along the Atlantic coast - which can pull swimmers out to deeper water

Lockdown: Biarritz GP prescribes swims in sea, police say no

Pensioners frustrated at lockdown ruling that prevents them taking a dip for health reasons

Paris: Swimming in the Seine on track for 2024

An initial review shows work to improve water quality in the river Seine has been successful, and it should be safe to swim in the river by 2024.

Laws affecting swimming pool owners in France

As a swimming pool owner, are you liable for accidents that happen in your pool when you’re not there?

UK quarantine rules threatened record Channel swim

Australian swimmer Chloe McCardel broke men's record for successful Channel crossings at the weekend

What to do if your pool turned green during lockdown

Owners arriving later than usual at holiday homes, as European travel restrictions lift, may have the bad experience of finding their pool has turned green.

France’s cleanest beaches for 2020 revealed

A total of 401 beaches and 106 ports in France have been recognised for their cleanliness in 2020, by awarding body Pavillon Bleu .

20 pools to reopen with new rules in France

Twenty public swimming pools will reopen with new rules at the beginning of June, as a trial for the second stage of deconfinement.

US woman sets Channel swim endurance record

Cancer survivor becomes the first swimmer to cross the Channel four times non-stop

Sea walks in France: sport for body and soul

The water ‘sport’ of longe-côte is gaining popularity in many coastal areas of France. But just what is it?

French freediving record-holder: Sea is under threat

Record-breaking French freediving champion Guillaume Néry discusses multiple threats to the world’s oceans – and how we can save them – with Jane Hanks

Jellyfish force sea swim event to be called off

First Open Swim Stars' event in Nord department rescheduled for May or June 2020

Swimmers in France, book now

The 2019 season for swimming the Channel is almost over – and, for the brave, now is the time to book a slot for the next three summers.

Paris pool closes due to ‘pro-burkini’ protest

A public pool in Paris closed this weekend after pro-burkini activists mounted a protest against the ban on the body-covering swimsuit, and demanding “access for all to leisure facilities”.

France warned on 30% rise in accidental drownings

The number of accidental drownings in France rose by 30% in the summer of 2018, health agency Santé Publique France (SPF) has warned.

Children of two to learn to swim

Children will get swimming lessons from the age of two under government plans to cut the number of drownings after 330 under-sixes died in 2018.

Shortage of lifeguards in France

Swimming pools are being forced to shut or close early due to a shortage of 5,000 lifeguards across France.

Website helps you rent out your pool

Swimmy has 16,000 subscribers and allows private owners to rent their pools

121 deaths by drowning in 35 days in France

Lack of lifeguards, and poor standard of swimming lessons to blame, according to secretary general of Fédération des maîtres-nageurs

Macrons plan to build private pool at holiday fort

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are planning to construct a private outdoor pool at their official holiday residence, the Fort de Brégançon, in a bid to escape being seen by paparazzi on the fort’s private beach.

Gard swimmer ready for World Ice Swimming competition

French man trained for fifth annual tournament by taking cold showers - and swimming in a lake where the temperature of the water was 0.2C

Sea swimming banned over Man o' War fears

Local authorities in Morbihan ban swimming at a number of beaches after deadly creatures wash ashore

Red tape grounds drone beach lifesaver

Plans for a beach drone to locate swimmers in trouble and drop a life-belt to them have been grounded by bureaucracy.

‘Pool squatters’ in private pools on increase

Private homes are increasingly falling victim to ‘pool squatting’, in which strangers come to use an outdoor pool when the owners or residents are not at home.

Paris lake open to swimmers from this weekend

In the midst of a heat wave, the prospect of taking a dip can be very tempting

All kids get 15 hours’ free swim lessons this summer

This summer, children in France will have access to 15 hours of free swimming lessons, as part of the annual operation ‘know how to swim’ (‘ savoir nager ’).

How to protect against vive fish stings this summer

If you have any seaside bathing planned this summer, watch out for the venomous 'weaver' or 'weever' fish (known as ‘ vive ’ fish in French).

Find the coolest spots in France in heatwave

As large parts of the country wake after a night of high temperatures we offer some of the best spots for wild swimming

Pool tax dodgers trapped by Google maps

Tax authorities in Lot-et-Garonne used Google maps to track down undeclared new swimming pools

Bumper year for swimming pool sales

The past year was a bumper year for swimming pool sales – close to a record set in 2007 before the financial crisis hit.