Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Concern over lack of air-con in Paris 2024 Olympic village

The lack of air conditioning in the rooms of the athletes' village for the Paris 2024 Olympics is raising concerns from some federations and athletes, sources told AFP on Tuesday.

Published: 17 January 2023 17:09 CET
Concern over lack of air-con in Paris 2024 Olympic village
Workers operate at the site of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes' village in Saint-Ouen, outside Paris, on August 30, 2022. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

The Olympic Village, based in Saint-Denis seven kilometres north of central Paris, will accommodate nearly 14,000 athletes and staff members during the Olympics in the French capital in July and August 2024.

The games organisers have promised the global event will be carbon neutral, with the use of materials chosen for their energy performance. After the games, the Olympic village will be converted into housing.

On Tuesday Nicolas Ferrand, head of Solideo which has been chosen to construct the Olympic buildings, said there was no problem to address.

“We are building rooms where it will be six degrees cooler than the outside temperature,” during the French summer, he assured during a press conference.

READ MORE: How the Olympics will change France’s 2024 cultural calendar

If the Olympic Games organising committee later demands air-conditioning, “there will be air-conditioning,” he added, while cautioning that the carbon footprint would be affected.

“It’s a question for society. Do we collectively accept being at six degrees less and having an excellent carbon footprint, or do we say it’s not okay, and we’re ready to downgrade the carbon footprint?” Ferrand said.

The possibility of another scorching summer, with temperatures in excess of 40C, has been taken into account, the organisers assured last year.

But the reassurances have not appeased everyone.

“Imagine several days in a row at more than 40C, in rooms at 34C. It’s still pretty crazy that these scenarios have not led to any changes,” said a high-ranking French sports official. 

The Olympic organisers have chosen to make the 2024 event “an ecological project”, said another sporting figure. 

“But in the event of a heatwave, the well-being of the athletes is not taken into account.”

Some sports federation are already looking for solutions, including finding accommodation elsewhere.

“If they continue like this, they will empty the village,” he added.

Paris-2024 organisers are considering their options, including using floor fans. 

“It’s still a work in progress,” they said.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

No French fries but lots of lentils for Paris Olympic athletes

There will be no French fries but plenty of lentils on offer to athletes attending the Paris Olympics, with organisers unveiling a Games menu that combines eco-minded recipes with French gastronomy.

Published: 26 June 2024 08:54 CEST
No French fries but lots of lentils for Paris Olympic athletes

The 3,300-seat restaurant at the Paris Olympic village, which will welcome athletes next month, was given its first test-run on Tuesday by a hungry crowd of sports figures, officials and journalists.

Based in a vast former power station, the food hall includes six dining areas offering meals from around the globe, with half of the 50 dishes available each day being 100 percent vegetarian.

“People are going to meet here in France, with its culture, its heritage but also its gastronomy and so there are expectations,” chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters.

Although many athletes would stick to their usual nutrition before competing, they will also be offered the chance to discover France’s famed food, with several Michelin-starred chefs taken on as advisers.

“We’ve allowed ourselves to put French gastronomy in pride of place so that curious athletes from around the world can try French culinary excellence,” Estanguet added.

The giant warm-food buffets will not include French fries, however.

McDonalds, a long-time Olympics sponsor, had its own fast-food restaurant in the Olympic village until the Rio Olympics in 2016, but athletes wanting a hit of junk food will have to look elsewhere.

“For technical reasons, we can’t offer fries,” said Estelle Lamotte, deputy director of village catering at food group Sodexo, told reporters.

She explained deep-fat fryers were not allowed in the temporary kitchens at the site, which is usually used as a film studio.

Gregoire Bechu, head of sustainable food at the Paris organising committee, stressed the quality of the ‘delicious’ lentil dahl recipe that has been developed for athletes.

“One of the major commitments by Paris 2024 was offering vegetarian meals in order to halve the carbon footprint of each meal on average,” he said. “We wanted vegetarian meals everywhere.”

At sports venues, 60 percent of food offered to fans will be vegetarian and the temporary stadium hosting skateboarding, BMX and breakdancing at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris will be entirely meat-free.

In a further bid to lower carbon emissions, only two of the six restaurant areas at the village will be air-conditioned, with the rest in outdoor courtyards sheltered by fabric sun shades and ventilated with overhead fans.

Tuesday’s test event, held under fierce sunshine and in 27C heat, saw some people visibly sweating.

“I think we’ve found a good compromise between offering the right temperature but also reducing our carbon emissions,” Estanguet said. “It’s one of the main challenges of the Paris 2024 edition.”

In a break from Olympic tradition, the 2,800 apartments at the village do not come with air-conditioning as standard.

But many Olympic teams have decided to install portable coolers at their own cost.

Paris has suffered a number of record heatwaves in recent years with temperatures peaking above 40C in July and August, but 2024 has so far been wet and cool.

The Paris Olympics run from July 26th to August 11th, followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th.

SHOW COMMENTS