Team USA is not going to trust Paris to get it right at the Olympics and will bring its own air conditioning units to France this summer. The United States’ decision directly undercuts organizers’ efforts to cut carbon emissions in favor of comfort.
Making peak performance the priority seems entirely reasonable for the biggest sporting even in the world!
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and Olympic organizers have long touted its 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 will be no air conditioning.
The average high in Paris on the first of August hovers around 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Only one in ten (or less) Parisians households have built-in air conditioning units. It’s not a thing over there. It’s not necessary.
In turn, organizers chose to cool the athlete’s rooms with a system of pipes underneath the floors and standard fans. The goal is to keep the rooms between 73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit while keeping impact on the environment to a minimum.
I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view.
— Anne Hidalgo
That isn’t going to work for the United States…
There is no room for error. To trust that the weather will cooperate isn’t an option. To trust that Paris’ plans to keep the rooms cool will actually work is not an option. What if it doesn’t?
73-79 degrees also isn’t that cool. Trying to sleep in a 79-degree room when you don’t normally sleep in a 79-degree room before the Olympics would be brutal.
In response, the United States told Paris to kick rocks!
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland announced that while Team USA appreciates Hidalgo’s efforts aimed at sustainability, it will be supplying its own air conditioning units for its athletes.
As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA’s performance. In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability.
— Sarah Hirshland
Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and Britain are going to do the same. More are likely to announce similar plans in coming weeks. All of the major countries with hopes of contending will presumably follow suit. Taking a gamble on the temperature of the athlete’s rooms is not one worth taking.