Chicago River Swim is officially happening, but athletes won't actually swim in the river

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The city has approved for the Chicago River swimming competition to happen in September, event organizers said.

Although the event will begin on the river, swimmers won't actually get to swim through the heart of the city.

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Organizers with Chicago River Swim agreed with city officials to relocate to Ohio Street Beach and have athletes only swim in Lake Michigan.

CRS organizers said the main reason they changed the route was due to safety concerns.

Swimmers will meet at the riverwalk, board a boat and then begin the swim once they arrive to Ohio Street Beach.

"We had high hopes of swimming in the river this year, but we quickly learned the challenges involved in organizing a new event of this scale," said Doug McConnell, founder of A Long Swim and the organizer of CRS. "We're using this opportunity to build momentum and refine our approach."

The swim, which would be the first open water swim in the river in nearly a century, is scheduled for September 22.

From over a thousand applicants, only 500 swimmers were selected to compete.

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Money raised has been designated to go to ALS research.

For athletes who no longer want to participate due to the venue change, the organization is offering a refund, or to use their fundraising credits for next year.

Organizers say they hope to have athletes swim through the Chicago River next year.