The final open-water swimming competition of the Paris Olympics concluded Friday, bringing an end to a tumultuous, dramatic, and expensive saga.

The city of Paris spent $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine river, which ultimately hosted five events during the Games despite questions about water quality and its safety for swimming. But that exorbitant expense wasn’t enough to quell disruptions.

Pollution in the Seine, particularly E. coli levels, has fluctuated throughout the Olympics, in large part due to heavy rainfall before and during the Games. And while no competitions were canceled, several practice sessions were called off, and the men’s triathlon was delayed one day.

Mixed Results

Hungary’s Kristóf Rasovszky won the gold medal in the men’s 10-kilometer marathon swimming event that took place in the iconic river Friday after Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal won the women’s event Thursday. Ahead of the men’s competition, Sweden’s Victor Johansson dropped out, claiming the Seine’s river quality had made him sick.

On Monday, Germany won gold in the triathlon mixed relay after Belgium pulled out of the competition because one of its team members got sick. At the time, it was believed Claire Michel fell ill from swimming in the Seine during the women’s triathlon, but it was later determined to be a virus.

Last week, Great Britain’s Alex Yee won the men’s triathlon, but only after the event was pushed back one day to July 31 because of poor water quality when the Seine was tested the day before. France’s Cassandre Beaugrand won the women’s triathlon, which went ahead as scheduled July 31.

Swimming in L.A.

In 2028, open-water swimming at the Los Angeles Olympics is set to take place at Long Beach. The venue will span 11 miles of waterways connected to more than 5 miles of sandy beaches.

The most recent budget projections for the entire Los Angeles Games have come in around $7 billion, compared to potentially $10 billion for the Paris Olympics, once the final numbers come in.

The A’s have more than seven weeks left playing in Oakland, but the MLB team is already preparing its farewell tour in the Bay Area.

With the playoffs out of the question at 48–68 and last place in the AL West, the Sept. 26 game against the Rangers will be the club’s final home contest at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. On Thursday, the A’s announced the game is already sold out. The single-game attendance record at the Coliseum is 56,310 from a 2018 game against the Giants. This season, Oakland is averaging fewer than 9,000 fans per game.

One More Time

Ahead of the home finale, the A’s have cooked up some other off-field plans for the Rangers series to say goodbye to their Oakland fan base. The Sept. 24 game will feature $2 tickets and free parking, and the Sept. 25 game has $10 tickets. Gates will open early throughout the series. 

After the final homestand, the franchise will play its final three games as the Oakland A’s in Seattle for a series against the Mariners.

From Cali to Vegas

The A’s are set to play the 2025 through 2027 seasons in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, which has a capacity of 14,000 for the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants. But there are several questions about that plan, including eventual reaction from the MLB Players Association next season.

Meanwhile, financing is still an issue for the team’s planned $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas that is supposed to be ready for the 2028 MLB season. On Thursday, a court in Nevada explored the pros and cons of a $380 million deal for public funding of the venue. A judge could block the deal.