Exhausted by the heatwave and sleepless from catching bugs... Outrage Erupts in Athlete Village Without Air Conditioning

Complaints about the cooling issues at the 2024 Paris Olympic Village, which promotes itself as an "eco-friendly Olympics," are emerging in various places. On the 30th of last month (local time), Ebony Morrison, a track and field athlete from Liberia, Africa, posted a video on her social media (SNS) titled "The reality of the Olympic Village." That day saw a heatwave with a maximum daytime temperature of 35 degrees Celsius and a heat index soaring up to 38 degrees.

Ivoni Morrison, a track and field athlete from Liberia, Africa, lamented in a video while catching bugs on the walls and ceiling with a towel, "I opened the windows because there is no air conditioning, and now bugs are crawling everywhere."
[Photo by TikTok user 'narratedblack']

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In the video, Morrison is seen catching bugs stuck to the walls and ceiling with a towel, lamenting, "Because there is no air conditioning, I opened the window, and now bugs are crawling everywhere." The Olympic Village accommodations, like typical French homes, were not equipped with insect screens. When Morrison opened the window due to the heat, bugs entered inside.

Earlier, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee decided not to install air conditioning in the Olympic Village to hold an eco-friendly Olympics. Instead, they arranged buildings to promote air circulation and varied building sizes, confidently claiming that the temperature inside the village could be maintained about 6 degrees lower than outside. However, after participating countries expressed concerns, approximately 2,500 temporary air conditioners were installed in the village, which has about 7,000 rooms. Still, air conditioners remain severely insufficient, forcing some athletes to struggle with the heat in their accommodations.

Thomas Ceccon, Italian backstroke gold medalist, sleeping on the lawn
[Photo by Hussein Alireza Instagram]

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On the 29th of last month, Thomas Ceccon of Italy, who won the gold medal in the men's 100m backstroke, publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions inside the Olympic Village. After failing to qualify for the 200m backstroke final on the 31st, Ceccon claimed in an interview that he was not in his best condition. He said, "I was a bit tired. I couldn't sleep well in the afternoon and at night due to noise and heat," adding, "It's very hot because there is no air conditioning, and the food isn't good, so many athletes are leaving the village."

Saudi Arabian rowing athlete Hussein Alireza even posted a video on Instagram showing Ceccon sleeping on the grass under a bench inside the village during the day. Netizens responded to the video with comments such as, "Is Ceccon sleeping on the grass because there is no air conditioning in the Olympic Village accommodations?" and "Is this how he is expressing his dislike for the accommodations?" As the controversy grew, the Italian Swimming Federation stated, "He was just taking a short nap," denying any connection between Ceccon's video and the accommodation issues he raised.

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