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A few South Korean swimmers and USA tennis players have moved out of Paris Olympics 2024 Village to hotels nearby. We take a look at the reasons for athletes choosing hotels over the Olympic Village. read more
 "Why some athletes are leaving Games Village for hotels")
Not all the athletes are liking the Paris 2024 Olympic Village with a few opting for hotels. AP
The Paris Olympics 2024 athletes are leaving the Games village in search of comfort. The Games Village for the Paris Olympics has been built in an area as big as 70 football pitches and can house 14,000 athletes and officials. While the majority of them are at the Village, a few athletes are shifting to their own arrangements for comfort, better logistics, and scheduling.
US tennis star Coco Gauff recently revealed that Team USA women’s tennis players have left the village except for her. Gauff did not reveal the exact reason why the tennis players moved out of the Village but a video she posted on TikTok will give you a good idea.
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In the seven-second video, Gauff showed multiple USA athletes getting ready, doing their make-up across a few rooms. “10 girls, two bathrooms. #olympicvillage,” the tennis star wrote.
She also revealed that the rooms were meant for eight people but were shared by 10 athletes.
The basketball team of the USA is also not staying at the Village as has been the tradition since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
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“The last few times I’ve done the Olympics, we’ve spent our fair share in the Olympic Village and felt like a part of the group there,” USA basketball player Kevin Durant said. “We stay outside of it, but we get our time right before the opening ceremony.”
Koran swimmers ditch Olympic Village
Six South Korean swimmers were among the first few athletes to leave the Olympic village and move to a hotel closer. This happened even before the opening ceremony on 26 July. More than a lack of comfort, the lengthy commute forced the swimmers to leave the Olympic Village.
Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo, two of the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay team swimmers who left the village, had expressed unhappiness over the bus conditions and the journey of upwards of 40 minutes to reach the La Defense Arena.
The La Defense Arena is 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away from the Olympic Village but tight security restrictions have slowed down the journey.
The Korean swimmers have now moved to a hotel that is a five-minute walk from the venue.
To solve this issue Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois later announced that reserve buses have been deployed to cut down waiting time.
“At the beginning of the operations we’ve had some problems concerning the transportation of the athletes, especially before the Games started,” Thobois said. “We’ve taken measures since then with reserve (buses) to serve the athletes in the best possible way and I think the system is now operating perfectly.”
Athletes sweat without ACs
Besides small rooms which have been a tradition at Olympic Villages, the Paris 2024 has also attracted criticism for its lack of air conditioning. With a focus on reducing their carbon footprint, the organisers have installed a system that uses cold water sourced from 70 meters underground and circulates it through the floors to regulate the temperatures of the room.
The lack of air conditioning at a time when Europe is facing heat waves has not gone down well with a few athletes.
This has led to a few nations including the USA having their own portable ACs to help the athletes cool down.
Are cardboard beds a problem?
The Paris Olympics Village uses cardboard beds, similar to what was used during the Tokyo Olympics. The cardboard beds have been used to help the organisers meet their sustainability goals. As per Paris 2024 organisers, the beds will be recycled in France after the Olympics.
But some of the athletes, however, don’t like the comfort it provides.
The USA gymnast Simone Biles said that the “bed sucks” but she is using mattress toppers to increase her comfort level.
Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns described the mattresses provided by the organisers as “rock hard”
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English (US) ·