Yahoo Sports Inside the 2024 Paris Olympic Village: Recyclable Beds, Decor, Meals & More on What Living Is Like in the Athlete Apartments
The 2024 Paris Olympics are quickly approaching, meaning that athletes (and their respective entourages) will soon be moving into the Olympic Village.
Situated across the Saint-Ouen, Saint-Denis and L’Ile-Saint-Denis neighborhoods just north of Paris’ city center, the 81-acre venue is the largest single-site construction project in France, costing $1.85 billion.
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The Olympic Village is split by the Seine and features a footbridge that links the accommodation blocks. About 14,000 athletes and staff members participating in the Olympic Games will reside in the village, with an additional 9,000 staying there for the Paralympic Games.
Paris Olympic Village Sustainability Practices
The French government has vowed to make the 2024 Olympics “the most responsible and sustainable games in history” — a pledge that extends to the Olympic Village.
“This village was thought up as a neighborhood that is going to have a life afterwards,” Georgina Grenon, the 2024 Olympics director of sustainability, told CNN.
Following the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the facility, which makes up 82 buildings, will be converted into office space and affordable housing for a combined 12,000 people.
Rather than solely erecting new structures, existing ones have been renovated for the Olympic Village, including an old electric factory. New buildings were made with wood and 75 percent of construction materials are recycled.
A third of the apartments’ rooftops feature solar panels and another third are equipped with gardens, which are intended to cool the buildings given that many have no central air conditioning.
“We designed these buildings so that they would be comfortable places to live in in the summer, in 2024 and later on,” Yann Krysinski, senior vice president of project management at Solideo, the French public entity that oversees all major infrastructures and buildings for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, told Reuters. “We don’t need air conditioning in these buildings because we oriented the facades so that they wouldn’t get too much sun during the summer, and the facades, the insulation is really efficient.”
Even the furniture will be eco-friendly: mattresses were made with reused materials, while stools and bed frames are constructed out of cardboard, making them easily recyclable. Each bed is designed to hold up to 500 pounds, and they were first introduced during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
While the apartment layouts differ between buildings, the decor in all common areas is relatively minimal — they’re supplied with a couch, a small dining table and a coffee table. Some apartments also appear to have televisions and outdoor terraces.
New green technologies are also being tested throughout the Olympic Village, including a sidewalk crafted with seashells. This absorbent flooring allows rainwater to evaporate, keeping passersby cool.
Experimental outdoor air filters are also placed throughout the facility. They’re built to remove pollutants from the atmosphere and require little energy consumption.
The ground floors of most buildings in the village are equipped with air conditioning, though the athlete apartments will use geothermal cooling systems. Deep wells pump cooled water throughout pipes beneath the floors, bringing temperatures down. Some countries, including the United States, will provide portable air conditioners and fans to athletes.
Housing
In the Olympic Village, there are 3,000 apartments containing nearly 16,000 beds. This leaves enough room for both athletes and their trainers.
Each apartment contains one bedroom with two beds and a small living area. Kitchens aren’t included in the layout, though there are extensive dining options. Bathrooms are communal.
Dining
About 40,000 meals will be prepared each day in the Olympic Village. A large canteen seats 3,500 and features a rotating menu that meets the dietary and nutrition requirements of all athletes and staff. French, Mediterranean, Asian and Afro-Caribbean cuisine will be served. Grab-and-go options are also available in the event that athletes don’t have time for a sit-down meal.
Chefs Stéphane Chicheri and Charles Guilloy, who are in charge of the menu, have also promised plenty of plant-based options. These include vegetarian shawarma, za’atar-spiced sweet potatoes with hummus, beetroot falafel and grilled eggplant with smoked paprika.
No alcohol is allowed on the premises, but those living in the Olympic Village are welcome to enjoy it offsite. “They can have all the Champagne they want in Paris,” Laurent Michaud, director of the Olympic Village, told Sky News.
Other Amenities
Located within the Olympic Village is a shopping mall called the Village Plaza, which encompasses a hair salon, a grocery store, a bank, a post office and a 24-hour fitness center where athletes can lift weights and use treadmills, among other equipment.
Shuttle buses and electric bikes will transport athletes around the Olympic Village. Scooters, wheelchairs and other accessible equipment will also be provided to Paralympic athletes.
All competitors can train within 20 minutes of the village, and over half of them can train on the property. Separate training facilities including courts for basketball and fencing are on the premises. There are also venues for athletes participating in wrestling, pentathlon and weightlifting.
A multifaith facility onsite allows for athletes and their staff to practice religious rites, while the Village Club is ideal for socializing and watching coverage of the Games.
As for what athletes will be wearing, Ralph Lauren has once again stepped up to dress Team USA for the opening and closing ceremonies.
“We tried to do a look that felt distinctively American — where the athletes look like ambassadors on a global stage,” David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer for Ralph Lauren Corp., told WWD. “It’s very important that they look comfortable but that there’s also a certain level of formality.”
Nike, meanwhile, will provide uniforms for athletes on the U.S. Track & Field and Basketball teams.
The Paris Olympic Games take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.
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