The choice to omit air conditioning from the athletes’ accommodations in the Olympic Village in Paris was made with the best of intentions: to protect the planet during this climate crisis.
However, after receiving numerous complaints and reversing course to allow national teams to rent mobile air conditioning units at their own cost, the organizers in Paris are now under fire for allegedly creating a segregated Games.
Teams that opted for the units, such as the French delegation, are enjoying comfortable conditions, but amid a heatwave affecting the city, Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szocs reported that she and her teammates have had to leave their terrace doors open all night for some respite from the heat.
“There is no air conditioning, just this fan, and it isn’t sufficient,” she commented. “Fortunately, it hasn’t been excessively hot outside until now, but it surely feels too warm in the room at this point.”
“The fan isn’t strong enough; it only feels good when it’s directed at you, but when it rotates, you don’t feel it. We’re having to sleep with the door open at night. The rooms are small and we share them with another person.”
A representative from Paris 2024 mentioned that athletes are being encouraged to stay hydrated, leave windows open at night, and keep blinds shut during the day.
“We remind everyone that in dealing with extreme heat, we’re attempting to strike a balance between a long-term goal of creating a sustainable neighborhood and a short-term obligation to provide elite athletes with optimal training conditions,” the spokesperson stated.
“For what is often the most significant competition in these athletes’ lives, several National Olympic Committees have opted to invest in additional mobile cooling units.”
“These expenses are incurred solely at their own cost, and Paris 2024 is extending support by offering air conditioners that will later be accessible to Paralympic athletes. Other options, such as fans or a limited number of mobile air conditioning units for the most impacted rooms, will also be provided to the athletes.”
The air conditioning debate had been intense prior to the Games. In line with Paris’s commitment to a more sustainable Olympics, it was decided that no air conditioning would be implemented, with officials promising instead to maintain cool temperatures in athletes’ rooms using a geothermal water system that circulates cold water beneath the buildings.
The Paris Games aims to cut its overall carbon emissions by half compared to previous Olympics.
When pressed last year, Paris’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, stated, “While I care deeply about the athletes’ comfort, I prioritize the survival of humanity. I want the Paris Games to set an exemplary standard for environmental sustainability.”
The International Olympic Committee asserted that the building’s system would achieve temperatures between 23-26°C during peak heat, but these assurances did not satisfy several of the more prominent and affluent nations, including Great Britain, Australia, the United States, and even the hosts, France.
after newsletter promotion
“This is a high-performance Games,” remarked Matt Carroll, chief executive of the Australian Olympic Committee, to Australian media last year. “We are not here for a picnic.”
Organizers conceded to provide temporary air conditioning units that would be billed separately on what are called “rate cards” for those who opted for them.
According to the organizers, national teams requested 2,700 air conditioning units, though there are over 7,000 rooms available in the Olympic village.
This is not the only issue athletes have raised, prompting wealthier nations to take additional steps to assist their performers while others are left to manage with less.
Team GB even arranged for their own chef to come after rationing led to shortages of high-protein foods and the serving of raw meat at the Olympic Village dining area.
Szocs, 29, expressed her surprise upon discovering the restaurant was out of protein when she returned to the Olympic village post-competition. “Usually, I prefer eating meat,” she explained.
