The Truth About Olympic Village’s Air Conditioning Ban

The 2024 Olympics are going to get steamy—and not because of the cardboard beds.

When it was announced the Olympic Village at the Paris Games wouldn’t have air conditioning (instead using water pipes in the floors to keep things cool), countries quickly expressed their outcry on behalf of their teams.

So to prevent a heated situation—and to not leave visiting athletes at the mercy of the summer heat, which broke records in France last year—the Paris organizers partially conceded and allowed countries to purchase window units for their athletes.

The result was swift: back in April, Euro News reported that 2,500 units had been ordered, with the numbers only increasing in the months since.

And during a June 21 briefing, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Sarah Hirschland confirmed the American Olympic teams would be among those getting cooled off by their home country.

“We have great respect for the work that's been done by the Paris Organizing Committee in particular, and their focus on sustainability,” Sarah noted, before confirming, “Yes, we will have air conditioners.”

She explained that it came down to what U.S. athletes needed and wanted in order to maximize their athletic potential.

According to the Washington Post, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Japan and Australia have all confirmed their intentions to bring air conditioning.

Australia, in particular, has spared no expense, reportedly spending more than $100,000 on air conditioning.

“We appreciate the concept of not having air conditioning due to the carbon footprint,” Australian Olympic Committee Matt Carroll told reporters last year. “But it is a high-performance Games. We’re not going for a picnic.”

Keep reading for an overview of all the rules for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

According to the Washington Post, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Japan and Australia have all confirmed their intentions to bring air conditioning.

Australia, in particular, has spared no expense, reportedly spending more than $100,000 on air conditioning.

“We appreciate the concept of not having air conditioning due to the carbon footprint,” Australian Olympic Committee Matt Carroll told reporters last year. “But it is a high-performance Games. We’re not going for a picnic.”

Keep reading for an overview of all the rules for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

No french fries at the Olympics in France? Oui.

As it turns out, the dish won't be on the menu at the Olympic Village in Paris.

"French fries are too risky," chef Charles Guilloy explained to The New York Times in May, "because of fire-hazard concerns over deep-fat fryers.

Athletes won't be able to find foie gras or start their day with some avocado toast at the village either.

"No to foie gras because animal well-being is on everyone’s mind," Guilloy continued, "and no to avocados because they are imported from a great distance and consume a lot of water."

While some Olympians may want to toast to their success with a glass of bubbly, they won't be able to at the Olympic Village. 

"No champagne in the village, of course," Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Villages Laurent Michaud told Sky News in March, "but they can have all the champagne they want also in Paris."

And even though there's a sports bar in the village, it won't be serving any alcohol.

"We wanted to create some places where the athletes will feel very enthusiastic and comfortable, so they can have some conversations, discussions and to share their core values about sports," Michaud shared with the outlet. "So we have made a village club, also, with a lounge, with a sports bar, with Coca-Cola—I mean, no alcohol, of course, over there. But it's going to be a great place so they can actually share their moment and the environment here."

Talking about a lack of air conditioning during the Summer Games is one way athletes can break the ice.

Olympic organizers have opted to forgo a.c. in the Olympians' rooms and instead rely on another way to stay cool.

"We designed these buildings so that they would be comfortable places to live in in the summer, in 2024 and later on," Yann Krysinski, SVP of SOLIDEO (the entity in charge of the major infrastructures for the Olympics), told Reuters in February, "and we don't need air conditioning in these buildings because we oriented the facades so that they wouldn't get too much sun during the summer, and the facades, the insulation is really efficient."

He added, "We also are providing naturally cool water that we're getting from underground to cool the air of these apartments. So you will not need air conditioning in the summer here."

Still, not all competitors were chill with this decision, and the United States Olympic Committee's CEO Sarah Hirshland previously confirmed Team USA will have air conditioning in their rooms. According to The Washington Post, Britain, Canada, and Italy's teams are among those bringing a.c. units as well.

During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the playbook urged athletes to "keep physical interactions with others to a minimum" amid the coronavirus pandemic. There were also those cardboard cots that social media users dubbed the "anti-sex" beds.

And while condoms were handed out to the athletes, the intention was for them to "take them back to their home countries and raise awareness" for HIV and AIDS, organizers told Reuters.

While the cardboard beds are back for the 2024 Paris Olympics, there isn't the same level of social distancing protocols. And there will be condoms on hand for the approximately 14,250 Olympic Village residents.

"We are aiming to have 300,000 condoms here at disposal for the athletes in the village," Michaud told Sky News. "It's a quantity that makes sure that everybody will have what they're expecting and what they need."

If athletes want to share social media content, they're going to need to follow some #rules.

For instance, the International Olympic Committee's guidelines state athletes can share audio and video recordings from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Olympic Village, Champions Park, training venues and practice areas. The rules also note athletes can post recordings from competition veneus up to an hour before their events begin and after the they've left the "mixed zone/doping control station."

However, the guidelines make it clear that these recordings cannot exceed two minutes per post. In addition, the rules state athletes cannot share videos of medal ceremonies or sports competitions (including anthems, coin tosses or celebrations on the field) and that the clips cannot be live.

And while photos can be taken at the Games if the Olympians follow the guidelines, the rules explain that pictures and videos cannot be shared if they're commercial, use AI or feature the "medical areas, doping control station or mult-faith centre."

Trying to help the planet? Now that move deserves a gold medal.

Paris is banning single-use plastics during the 2024 Olympics, including at festival sites, competition locations and the Marathon Pour Tous.

According to the city's tourism website, reusable, non-glass water bottles will be allowed at festival and competition sites and attendees will be permitted to bring their own containers, bowls or cups for eating and drinking. Runners will also drink from reusable cups during the marathon.

"Whether it's drinking, having an ice cream or a takeaway meal," the website reads, "all containers and cups will be reusable."

Did you know you don't have to wear shoes while running a race? 

According to World Athletics' rules, "Athletes may compete barefoot or with footwear on one or both feet."

In fact, Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia ran the marathon barefoot at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and won the gold medal. Similarly, Zola Budd ran the 3,000 metres barefoot while competing for Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, coming in seventh.

There's actually a rule for what happens when a tennis ball hits a bird during a match.

According to the International Tennis Federation, if a ball strikes a bird that's flying overheard, it's considered a hindrance and the point is replayed.

In a canoe with a broken paddle? Let's just say you don't want to be in that boat.

According to the International Canoe Federation's guidelines, an athlete with a broken paddle during the canoe slalom "must drop back and/or complete the course alone. The broken end of the paddle is considered dangerous. They may drop the paddle and use their hands to finish the course."