Paris Did Away With Air Conditioners For The Upcoming Summer Olympics In An Effort To Go Green - Rich Countries Said Absolutely Not And Are Now Bringing Their Own Portable A/C Units

LIONEL BONAVENTURE. Getty Images.

We're a few weeks away from the beginning of the Summer Olympics so it's time to begin to give a shit, or at least pretend to. Something I have my eye on has nothing to do with any of the competitions actually, but more the situation in the village where most of the competitors plan on staying. 

If you've ever been to France you know they're not big on air conditioning. I'm sorry I'm going to sound spoiled, but it's straight up lunacy. I know we're all doing our part to go green, but A/C is one of the greatest inventions of our time. We can save energy with other things, but we gotta have A/C. France disagrees and in preparation for the summer games, the Paris mayor stressed that there would be no air conditioning in the living areas. Instead they'd be using an alternate cool system throughout the Village in an effort to save energy. 

(Washington Post) PARIS — For all the steps Paris organizers have taken to put on the greenest Olympics ever, their boldest measure — the one they’ve touted again and again — pertains to the dorms in the Athletes’ Village. The rooms don’t have air-conditioning. Because of other cooling measures, organizers have assured, the athletes won’t need it. But in a farcical turn, when the Games start next month, an Olympic Village designed to showcase sustainability will be more of an energy hog than organizers had hoped.

Naturally other countries began to be skeptical of this cooling system. Certainly can't just take their word for it when it greatly impacts the competitors' daily living. 

Paris organizers had realized even a year ago that air-conditioning was a touchy subject. So officials included portable air-conditioning units on what is called a “rate card” — a menu of add-ons and accessories that visiting countries could purchase to spruce up their dorms and offices. But that offer coincided with a campaign to convince visitors that the cooling methods already in place, most notably a geothermal system of in-floor cooling pipes, would work sufficiently. Officials emphasized that rooms would be at least 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than outside temperatures. They described running simulations of heat waves. The director of the Olympic and Paralympic Villages stressed that athletes “will be able to rest correctly.”

Encouraging everyone that the rooms in the middle of the summer will be at least six degrees cooler than outside is not exactly comforting. Back in 2019, Paris recorded a high temperature of 109 degrees. Quick math of 109-6= 103 degrees Fahrenheit inside the dorms. I think you just die if you sleep in those conditions. 

Ah not to worry, Paris officials say the rooms won't get hotter than 79 degrees. 

The officials have said that with the right habits, such as closing shades during the day, temperatures inside the dorms won’t exceed 79 Fahrenheit.

SEVENTY NINE DEGREES? Call me spoiled all you want, but I'd call the police on my building if the temperature at night was 79 degrees in my room. Sure Kelly Keegs may prefer to sweat like that, but not this guy. I need it cold and I'm not even a world class athlete who needs a good night's sleep to try and avoid embarrassing my entire country on a global scene. Imagine the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry staying here? 

Aurelien Meunier. Getty Images.

Ok the NBA guys are a terrible example because I'm certain they're staying outside the village in a sick hotel. They're too popular and wouldn't be able to walk two feet without being swarmed. But take a slightly lesser level of athlete? How about our stud swimmer Caeleb Dressel who swims like he's a legitimate torpedo being shot out of a submarine? What about the tennis players like Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul? I need our athletes sleeping soundly. 

Turns out other country's officials think the same, so a bunch of them are supplying their athletes rooms with portable AC units. 

That’s because portable air-conditioning units will be everywhere. Wheeled in. Shipped in. Ordered by visiting countries that want their athletes to sleep well and perform at the highest level — even if it means a larger carbon footprint.

Worried about what potentially could be the world’s hottest year on record, wealthier nations have effectively undercut Paris’s marquee sustainability measure, signaling that, yes, they care about environmental aims — but not if it risks the comfort of their athletes. Some of those athletes are accustomed to temperatures cooler than what the dorms might have provided and raised concerns to their national Olympic committees.

This doesn't exactly matter much for countries like the U.S. or Australia because they've got plenty of money to afford these portable units. This decision by Paris greatly fucks a country like Uganda though. The President of their Olympic Committee outright said they don't have deep pockets and can't afford them. Brutal for them if and when the cooling system ends up being a disaster. Wonder if those athletes take note of who has the AC and find their way into those rooms for a romantic evening just to sleep soundly. 

I very much look forward to this being a full-on disaster and whoever touted this alternate method turns out to be dead wrong. Happy Olympics everybody!