Would you swim in the Seine? 🏊💩

OK, let’s be real. Would you swim in the Seine? An activity that has been basically banned since 1923? Before Paris Olympics organizers decided they wanted to try to clean the water to hold open water swimming events in it?

A mid-June report from the mayor’s office showed the river still had high levels of fecal bacteria. (Nope, those Parisian poop protests haven’t even happened ... yet.) Testing data three weeks out from the July 26 Opening Ceremony showed enterococci and E.coli bacteria were below legal thresholds six out of nine days between June 24 and July 2, Reuters reported.

But still, I live in New York City, near the Gowanus Canal (a superfund site) and the East River. So swimming in the Seine would be a hard no from me, dawg. (For those counting at home: That’s $1.5 billion invested in trying to clean up the Seine, The Associated Press reported last year.)

Team USA open water coach Ron Aitken told my colleague Michelle R. Martinelli that he’ll leave the decision to compete in the Seine up to the athletes and their families. First-time U.S. Olympian Ivan Puskovitch called it "pretty disappointing" that Paris organizers haven’t improved the water quality.

Olympics organizers did confirm that there is a backup venue − Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, where canoe-kayak and rowing events will be held − just outside of Paris, should the Seine not be clean enough. But Aitken and Puskovitch expressed frustration with the lack of clear communication about backup plans.

“I don't think the Paris group wants people knowing that there's a backup plan because there would be everybody saying, ‘Forget it. None of us are going to do this now because we know you’ve got an option,’" Aitken said. "I think they want you to think there's no option, especially if they think they've got it under control and it's going to be safe."

Let’s see how this plays out. In the meantime, shoot me an email at rbowers@gannett.com and let me know if you’d swim in the Seine.

Other quick hits you need to know.

• This NBC spot with Simone Biles and the singer SZA is great. SZA, a former gymnast, and Biles competed to see who could hold a handstand longer.
• Kevin Durant has been sidelined by a calf strain at Team USA Olympics basketball camp.
• The number of high-profile absences in tennis for the Paris Games pretty much says it all about what a strange place the Olympics occupies in the tennis calendar. 
• The Bears are letting Simone Biles' husband skip some training camp to go to the Olympics.
• Yes, Team USA are bringing their own AC units to Paris.
• The Boss’ daughter Jessica Springsteen didn’t qualify for U.S. Olympic  equestrian team. 
• World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki was subpoenaed by the U.S. government to testify in an investigation into how 23 Chinese swimmers avoided punishment after testing positive for banned drugs weeks ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.