Paris Olympic Village: No air conditioning?!

The countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games has begun. Athletes around the world are preparing for the Games, which can be subject to weeks of heatwaves, and the Paris Organising Committee has not installed air conditioning in the Olympic Village.

Euronews reported on February 25 that a recent study said that during this summer's Olympic Games, Paris could experience a heat wave that could last for weeks, and even face the possibility of breaking the record for the highest temperature in history. Although the Paris Organising Committee said it was ready for measures to deal with heat waves and extreme weather, the lack of air conditioning was a concern for sports delegations in some countries.

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games aim to halve CO2 emissions compared to London 2012 and Rio 2016. One of the steps taken by the Paris Organising Committee this summer is to create an athletes' village without air conditioning.

Etienne Tobois, CEO of the Paris Organising Committee, previously explained to the media: "We are also aware of the high temperatures that everyone is worried about, and we will take concrete measures to improve the experience of all athletes, staff and spectators. For new venues, we will install air conditioning systems, and for old venues, we will also renovate air conditioning systems. Tobois said.

A new "water cycle cooling system" is used in the athletes' village to cool the athletes' dormitories. Tobois said the system could keep the temperature inside the athletes' dormitories "about 6 degrees Celsius" cooler than the outside to ensure that the athletes had a relatively comfortable environment to rest in, especially at night.

According to reports, the construction of the Paris Olympic Village refers to the current European standards for environmentally friendly buildings, and the architectural design makes the community structure convenient for natural ventilation, and the buildings use thermal insulation materials. At the same time, the interior of the building has ground pipes that act as a temperature regulating system, pumping cold water from the ground to circulate to regulate the temperature when the weather gets hot. The contractor ensured that the indoor temperature would not exceed 28 degrees Celsius at least 99% of the year.

According to the evaluation of the French professional department, the maximum temperature of the outdoor temperature is 28 degrees Celsius when the maximum outdoor temperature is 39 degrees Celsius, and the perceived temperature on the body surface is reduced to 25 degrees Celsius if a fan is used. And at night, when there is no sunlight, even though the outside temperature is still high, it drops below 24 degrees Celsius indoors.

Previously, a chart compiled by Le Parisien based on data from the French meteorological department showed that the highest temperature of more than 35 degrees Celsius in France during the Olympic Games in recent years was an even year, and the cooler summer was an odd-numbered year. That said, Paris is likely to experience a hot 2024.

Although the Paris Organising Committee said it was ready for measures to deal with heat waves and extreme weather, the lack of air conditioning was a concern for sports delegations in some countries.

The Greek delegation said it would bring its own portable air conditioners during the Paris Olympics – and the president of the Greek Olympic Committee, Capralos, said that the need for air conditioners during the competition would be met by purchasing or soliciting sponsorships.

Australia and Ireland also plan to provide air conditioning for athletes.