Despite the controversy over accommodations without air conditioning during the heatwave, the organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics have finally abandoned their Olympics without air conditioning principle.
According to France24 last Tuesday, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee has allowed each country to order portable air conditioners at their own expense. It is reported that 2,500 air conditioners have been ordered this week.
This decision was made considering the recent heatwaves that have hit Paris. It is a measure to prevent sleep deprivation and health issues among athletes. Augustin Tran Van Chau, the deputy director of the village, explained, “The aim was to provide a very specific solution for athletes who are facing the match or competition of their lives… and who might have requirements for their comfort and recovery which are higher than in a normal summer.”
Under the theme of Eco-friendly Olympics, the Paris Olympic Village has a geothermal cooling system that uses cold water pumped from underground. This can keep the indoor temperature at least 6 degrees lower than outside.
In an interview with Reuters earlier this year, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confidently stated that the system was designed to maintain a comfortable temperature without air conditioning, even in very high temperatures.
However, as the Olympics approached, there were consistent claims that additional cooling devices were needed for the athletes’ rest and condition management. As a result, the Organizing Committee has prepared a compromise allowing each team to order portable air conditioning units at their own expense.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, and Australia are among the top 20 countries in terms of team size that plan to use portable air conditioners.
The Paris Olympics aim to cut total carbon emissions by half compared to the 2012 London and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The Organizing Committee focuses on using low-carbon construction materials and renovating existing stadiums instead of building new ones. The meals at the accommodations and venues will feature reduced meat options, and the temporary venues for skateboarding and BMX will have 100% vegetarian menus.
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