No AC, No Privacy: What’s Going Wrong at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

One of the ongoing complaints surrounding the 2024 Paris Olympics is the lack of curtains in the athletes’ village accommodations.

Several athletes shared they covered their windows with towels when taking a shower out of concern that people from the building next door might see inside.

Yahoo News reported that American track and field athlete Chari Hawkins revealed the accommodations in the athletes’ village on TikTok.

Pointing out the view of flags hanging outside the opposite building in the video, she said, “This is awesome. There’s a lot of people across from you. Yay, that’s super fun.” She sarcastically added that she used a large towel provided by the Olympic committee as a curtain, stating, “I finally have some privacy.”

She explained that she uses a makeshift method to hang the towel, noting that she quickly puts the towel up and gets dressed as fast as possible after finishing her shower or changing clothes because otherwise, it falls too easily.

American swimmer Mariah Denigan echoed these concerns, showing off her makeshift blackout curtain made from tin foil.

While some athletes mentioned that blinds were installed outside the windows, allowing them to darken their rooms with the push of a button, those who complained did not see a switch for blackout blinds next to their windows.

Complaints about the facilities in the athletes’ village extend beyond just the lack of curtains. First introduced at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the cardboard beds reappeared in Paris, and athletes were bewildered. Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns mentioned that the mattress was “actually rock solid” and had ordered a mattress topper.

There were concerns about the insufficient number of bathrooms relative to the number of occupants. American tennis player Coco Gauff highlighted her discomfort with a post that read, “10 girls, 2 bathrooms,” accompanied by a sound effect resembling a scream.

Despite its focus on sustainability, this year’s Olympics faced criticism for not installing air conditioning in the athletes’ village and providing vegetarian meals that fell short of protein. To address these issues, many countries have taken matters into their own hands by bringing in air conditioning units and supplying meat-rich lunches for their athletes.