When running and swimming meet: King and Queen of the Sea at Copacabana Beach this weekend

There are things that you only believe by experiencing them firsthand. And I can affirm: I have already swum with turtles, rays, and little fish in Copacabana. Yes, at the beach so famous for its boardwalk, but that spent a long time unsuitable for bathing. I am a runner and started swimming there at the beginning of this year expecting the worst-case scenario, but I found many days of crystal-clear, green-transparent water, looking like the Caribbean, and almost none of that "foam" that is synonymous with problems.

Behind this more Caribbean Copacabana is the hard work of sanitation by Águas do Rio, the Aegea concessionaire, which sponsors the last stage of the year of the King and Queen of the Sea circuit, presented by Shell, this weekend. The world's largest beach sports festival returns to the Princess of the Sea to close the season with about 7,000 competitors in 15 events, including open water swimming, sand running, beach biathlon, and kids events.

Since 2021, the company has been doing hard work to protect the beaches. The most important part in Copacabana has been taking care of the Ocean Interceptor, a 9 km tunnel through which the sewage from the area passes and which had not been maintained for over 50 years. During the cleanup, 3,000 tons of garbage were removed. In addition, infrastructure works and monitoring of illegal connections are part of the company's routine to keep the sea increasingly clean.

"Águas do Rio has been working very hard for the return of water quality in places where we thought we would never be able to dive and swim again. Their commitment aligns with the King and Queen of the Sea, which is to expand access to open water swimming to as many people as possible," says Claudia Porto, director of the circuit.