Temperatures in Paris are expected to soar above 80º Fahrenheit for the majority of the Olympics. Athletes without air conditioning are already starting to feel the heat and it is only going to get hotter in the coming days.
The lack of relief is going to be a real issue for countries that didn’t bring their own units!
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and Olympic organizers have long touted their plans to be environmentally conscious throughout this summer’s Games. One such effort involves the cooling of rooms in the Athletes Village, which will house more than 15,000 Olympians. There is not any air conditioning.
A system of pipes underneath will pump cold water underneath the Olympic Village housing, which will eventually become apartments. The goal is to keep the rooms between 73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
This kind of system is pretty common in France. Only one in ten Parisian households have built-in air conditioning. It’s not a commonality overseas like it is in the United States.
They don’t need it… until they do! There is a high probability that this summer’s Games will be the hottest Olympics in recorded history with highs into the upper 80s at times.
Due to the unprecedented heat, a large number of bigger and wealthier delegations — like the United States, Germany, Italy, Canada and Great Britain — brought their own AC units to Paris for each athlete.
China is one of those countries. Thailand is not.
The latter is jealous of the former!
26-year-old table tennis star Orawan Paranang said that the heat is sweltering. Especially in the transportation vehicles, which also lack A.C.
“It’s so hot for five people sitting together. If the whole car is full, someone might faint before reaching their destination.”
— Orawan Paranang
She wishes that Thailand would have followed its neighbor’s lead when it comes to its planning.
“I want to go to the Chinese team to use the air conditioning.”
— Orawan Paranang
Her teammate, Suthasini Sawettabut, echoed those same sentiments. She envy’s China’s air conditioning and plans to swing by their dormitory to cool down.
Organizers allowed teams to order portable air-conditioning units at their own expense and can have them installed for the duration of the Olympics. Thailand either did not do so or only did so for certain athletes. Sawettabut and Paranang did not receive that luxury and they’re melting!