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Olympics or Sauna? Athletes Struggle with Sweltering Shuttle Buses

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Heatwaves are becoming the main concern among South Korean athletes gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Athletes are struggling to adjust to the Paris heat as air conditioning on shuttle buses is not working. One athlete has reportedly collapsed due to the heat inside of the bus.

After completing his official training at the La Défense swimming pool in Paris on July 25, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun Woo shared his experience with the media. “Some shuttle buses that transport us from the athletes’ village to the competition venue have air conditioning, while others do not. With so many athletes on board, it feels like a sauna. The temperature inside the bus may be even hotter than outside. Security threats have guards taping our windows shut, so we can’t open them,” he described. “I heard an athlete from another country collapsed after getting off the bus, which makes sense considering the temperature inside,” he added.

Hwang mentioned that from the athletes’ village to the swimming pool takes around 40 to 45 minutes, but unclear bus schedules caused his travel time to increase to 1 hour and 30 minutes that day. “I could spend three hours just commuting. The transportation system is inadequate, making it tough to get around. Other athletes seem to be facing similar issues,” he complained.

He expressed concern by stating that if this situation persists until the competitions start, it will be a significant problem and emphasized that a solution is needed.

Another South Korean swimmer, Kim Woo Min, expressed frustration by saying, “The bus is way too hot. A few days ago, a bus got stuck in a narrow alley and was damaged. Sometimes, the bus goes in circles in the wrong way.”

Serving as the athlete’s primary mode of transportation, the shuttle buses can significantly impact their ability to adjust before and after competitions if the environment inside is not adequate. Also, these buses take 40 to 50 minutes to their destination without a direct route. There is no guarantee they will run according to the provided schedule.

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The Paris Olympic Organizing Committee initially set a carbon emission target of 1.9 million tons, a 50% reduction compared to previous Olympic Games. Consequently, the committee planned to hold the “first air-conditioning-free Olympics” by not installing air conditioning in the accommodations, but the record-breaking heat brought back the use of air conditioning.

Each country must cover the costs of providing air conditioning to their teams, and the South Korean team is reportedly receiving cooling fans and vests.

The UK Sustainable Sports Association warned last month that the Paris Olympics will be even more severe than the Tokyo Olympics due to the record-breaking heatwave.

The possibility of heat-related injuries or changes to the competition schedule cannot be ruled out with the expectation of being the “worst heatwave Olympics” even before the games begin. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a Russian athlete collapsed from the extreme heat during an archery event. The Tokyo Olympic Committee reported that the maximum temperature on that day reached 33 degrees Celcius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) but felt like 40 degrees Celcius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) due to high humidity.

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