'Poop protest' and other issues face 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Editor’s note: Simone Biles made her third Olympic squad, highlighting the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team for the Paris Games.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are less than a month away. As Team USA finalizes its roster, which will see the best athletes in the country compete in Paris, other headlines are taking the spotlight as we head into the Summer Games.

In 1900, Paris hosted the second-ever Olympic Games, and the world games returned to France again in 1924 for the first-ever Winter Games in Chamonix. The most significant sporting event is set to return to Paris after 100 years in 2024. This return evokes mixed emotions, with some celebrating its return to the grounds where the Olympic Village was created, while others worry that outside factors may taint this year's games.

The external factors include a lack of air conditioning in the Olympic Village during hot summer temperatures, small cardboard beds for athletes and the "Paris Poop Protest," where individuals plan to defecate in the Seine River in protest ahead of the Paris games.

Here are the issues taking the spotlight from the world's best athletes.

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Issues arising ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

No AC units in the Olympic Village

With the rise in average temperatures, experts have warned that the 2024 Paris Olympic Games could be the hottest games in history. But the Paris Summer Olympics organizing committee has confirmed that no AC units will be provided in the Olympic Village for athletes.

This decision comes after the committee said they are determined to cut the carbon footprint in half compared to previous Olympics. The committee plans to use "innovative, eco-focused cooling solutions for the athletes' accommodations," demonstrating their commitment to minimizing carbon emissions.

In line with the plan, Paris constructed the Olympic Village with a geothermal cooling system, which is more environmentally friendly than traditional air conditioning. The organizing committee has stated that the system will maintain athletes' rooms at least 10 degrees cooler than the outside temperatures and no warmer than the high 70 degrees at night.

The CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, has confirmed that Team USA will provide air conditioning for its athletes.

"We have great respect for the work that's been done by the Paris organizing committee in particular and their focus on sustainability," Hirshland said. "As you can imagine, this is a period in which consistency and predictability are critical for Team USA's performance. In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability."

The USA is not the only country bringing A.C. units. The Washington Post reports that Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Greece, and Italy will also bring AC units for their athletes.

Tiny beds with cardboard headboards for Olympic athletes

The Paris Summer Olympics organizing committee has confirmed that the Olympic Village beds will be small but "comfortable" and designed primarily to minimize environmental impact. Additionally, the equipment will be repurposed after the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The athletes' mattresses will be made from recycled fishing nets, and the bed bases will be constructed from reinforced cardboard.

"Airweave, an Official Supporter of Paris 2024, will supply bed bases made in France from recycled cardboard that can be adapted to the morphology of gymnasts and judokas alike," the Paris Summer Olympics organizing committee told Reuter. "They will donate the mattresses for the athletes' beds to the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Paris Opera Ballet School, as well as to Emmaus."

The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games this summer is aiming to be the greenest games ever held and hope to set a new standard in sustainability, according to the organization.

Parisians protest to defecation in Seine River

The now famed "poop protest" and its impetus can be traced back to original reports from the water charity Surfrider Foundation Europe, which claimed to have tested the Seine River water multiple times from September 2023 to March 2024. The results revealed a high level of bacteria in the water.

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have claimed that the Seine River, which will host an open swim event at the Paris Olympics, is safe enough to swim in. However, this assertion has been met with skepticism, raising concerns about the potential impact on the Paris Olympics.

Residents, who are increasingly dissatisfied with the ongoing river pollution, are now considering drastic measures. They are determined to stage a mass defecation in protest, a response to the comments by Macron and Hidalgo that they would go for a swim before the Olympic Games, which has sparked outrage.

The French government, in a bid to address the issue, has already invested an estimated $1.5 billion in cleaning the river, with the goal of making it swimmable.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Paris Olympic Games grapple with 'poop protest' and other issues