IRISH ATHLETES CAME to the Olympics prepared – in more ways than one.

Temperatures in Paris have been in the high 20s in recent days, leading some Olympians to complain of difficult sleeping conditions.

The lack of air conditioning was part of France’s plan for its Olympic games to meet “exemplary environmental standards”, opting instead for an energy efficient Village with features such as geothermally cooled water circulation in the floors.

But the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) decided months ago to provide air-conditioning for its athletes at the cost of around €60,000 in total. 

The option was available to all countries through a rate card, a list of extra amenities that delegations can avail of for a price. 

Fans fill their water bottles on a hot afternoon by the cycling BMX freestyle venue Alamy Alamy

Slushies and ice baths

The Olympic Village, where athletes and their teams stay during the games, is situated in the Parisian suburbs of Saint-Denis, Ile Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen, about 7km from the city centre.

The site near Stade de France is housing about 14,500 athletes, plus staff. 

Delegations that paid for their own air-conditioning include Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada. They have portable units in their accommodation.

While it’s keeping their rooms cool, athletes are still exposed to the elements during outdoor competitions.

“We have brought over slushie machines for athletes to try to cool them down immediately after competition,” says Heather Boyle from Ireland’s Olympics Federation.

“We have an ice bath. It’s just a little pool full of water with ice in it that we can control the temperature [of].

“It cools their core temperature down.”

An ice bath set up at the Paris Games for Belgian Olympians Alamy Alamy

Part of their years of training included an “environmental chamber” which pushes athletes to perform in challenging conditions. Athletes from around the world have spent time in the South of France and Italy as part of their “acclimatising programme”.  

But some teams are still struggling.

Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szocs has complained that she and her teammates have had to keep their balcony doors open all night to keep cool, saying the fan provided is not enough.

Romania didn’t opt for the pricey air conditioning.

Spectators use water jets to cool down during a hot day four of the Games Alamy Alamy

A spokesperson for the Paris Olympics said: “For what is often the biggest competition of their athletes’ lives, certain National Olympic Committees have chosen to equip themselves with additional mobile cooling units.

“These appliances are at their own cost, and Paris 2024 is offering support by proposing air conditioners that will subsequently be made available to Paralympic athletes.

“Additional solutions will be made available to the athletes, such as fans, or a few mobile air conditioning units for the most exposed rooms.”

Boyle, who is staying in the Olympic village herself without air-conditioning, stressed that it’s not unbearably hot and she has only had to use the fan provided once so far.

It’s anticipated that the OFI’s total expenditure for Paris 2024 – which includes sending the Olympians to France – is approximately €4.7 million, making it one of the federation’s highest budgets in recent years, despite proximity to the host country.

For the 2020 games in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), expenditure came to around €3.3 million.

Many athletes struggled with the heat in Tokyo, where temperatures were higher than what’s expected in Paris.