Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo presented the Grande Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris to Marisol Casado, Honorary President of World Triathlon and Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in recognition of her contribution to one of the city's most transformative projects: the conversion of the Seine River into a public beach following the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Marisol Casado has been a tireless advocate for gender balance in sport, for a clean environment and for placing sports at the heart of the city, values she embraced from the very beginning, and values that we’ve always shared,” Hidalgo said during the ceremony. “Her contributions to one of the biggest projects of my time as Mayor improving the water quality of the Seine River – have been outstanding, and the City of Paris will always remember this”, she said.

The ceremony took place at Paris Town Hall and was attended by World Triathlon President, Antonio F. Arimany; Paris Deputy Mayor, Pierre Rabadan, and representatives from World Triathlon, the French Triathlon Federation and Casado’s family. 

“I am deeply thankful to Mayor Hidalgo, the City of Paris, and everyone involved for this honour. It reflects the shared passion for sport and sustainability that made the Seine events possible,” Casado stated. “It is also very special as Madame Hidalgo and myself have always shared this vision and it is such an honour to see the excellent results of that project, an idea that we shared years ago and has led to having one of the most beautiful triathlon events ever seen”, she said. 

World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany also paid tribute to Casado’s legacy, saying: “Marisol has been instrumental in positioning triathlon at the heart of the Olympic movement and in championing projects that leave a real legacy for citizens. On behalf of World Triathlon, I want to thank her for her vision, her determination and her lifelong commitment to making our sport more inclusive, more sustainable and closer to the people of the cities that host us.”

Despite the challenges and after years of preparations, the Olympic triathlons and Para triathlon races delivered spectacular images of the city and realising Hidalgo’s and Casado’s dream. Post‑Games, the Seine has opened as a public swimming and leisure area, a lasting legacy of Paris 2024.