Athletes Say ‘Pas Plus’ To Unlivable Olympic Village Living Conditions

So, think about this. You have worked your entire life at a sport you love, and your dream has finally come true. You made the American Olympic team. You are in Paris, one of the most fabled and beautiful cities in the world, representing your country with hopes of bringing home the gold. You and your fellow athletes arrive at the Olympic Village, home for the next two weeks for yourself, your teammates, and thousands of other athletes from around the world. But when you arrive, it is not exactly what you had in mind. In fact, it’s horrible.

That is what many Olympic athletes encountered when they arrived at their temporary digs in the Olympic Village. The $1.6 billion facility was created to be “eco-friendly,” which should send up red flags right away. What does eco-friendly mean? Well, imagine the thought process that went into the opening ceremony going into housing the world’s premier athletes. James Magnussen is a retired Australian swimmer. He explained:

“They had a charter that said 60 percent of food in the village had to be vegan friendly and the day before the opening ceremony they ran out of meat and dairy options in the village because they hadn’t anticipated so many athletes would be choosing the meat and dairy options over the vegan friendly ones. The caterer had to rejig their numbers and bring in more of those products because surprise, surprise — world class athletes don’t have vegan diets… let me tell you, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Roger Federer — none of those guys are on a vegan diet.”

Magnussen blamed the ridiculous vegan menu on the fact that Australian swimmer Arairne Titmus did not achieve her personal goal of setting a world record on Saturday.

The eco-friendly insanity continues. Most of Europe does not have air-conditioning, and that goes for the Olympic Village as well. Just one problem, the first few days of the Paris games have seen temperatures in the 90s. Heat indexes could reach 105 degrees. Coping with no AC does not inspire one to be competitive. Tennis player Coco Gauff took to Instagram to share the Olympic living quarters. She revealed that ten women were forced to share one bathroom, something not achievable under normal circumstances. Five have given up and went to hotels, including Gauff’s team. Track and field athlete Chari Hawkins complained about the lack of privacy, saying her room had no curtains when she was changing clothes.

Then there are the cardboard beds. Yes, cardboard. The Olympic Village is temporary, but cardboard beds give that a whole new meaning. The athletes complained that they are very hard and uncomfortable. The beds were used in Tokyo, but according to the athletes have not improved. Spanish gymnast Ana Perez said she accidentally spilled coffee on her bed and was afraid it would “disintegrate.” In another Instagram post, Simone Biles stated “The bed sucks,” and was looking for a mattress topper. Except for the Tokyo Olympics with their heavy COVID restrictions, Olympic Villages have been notorious for, well, extracurricular activities. The Paris beds have been dubbed “anti-sex beds,” but after all, Paris is a city known for its romantic atmosphere so you do the math.

Throw in the fact that many of the athletes who stay in the Village must use public transportation to get to the various venues which are not exactly around the corner from the Olympic Village, another reason many athletes have had enough eco-friendliness, and moved to hotels closer to those venues. The athletes’ valuables are not even secure in the Olympic Village. A Japanese rugby player had a wedding ring, a necklace, and cash totaling around 3,000 euros stolen, and several players on the Argentine soccer team were robbed before they began play. There are no police in the Olympic Village.

The Olympic Village in all of its eco-friendly glory was clearly not designed and planned by anyone who has participated in sports at a high level. But as has already been demonstrated, the 2024 Paris Olympics are not so much about the spirit of competition as they are about political correctness and, apparently, climate change. It is unknown whether the athletes who have moved to hotels have moved on their own dime, but at least they will find some real food and a bed they might even sleep in…alone.