Why athletes are turning the 2024 Olympic village into a City of Flight (2024)

From questionable cuisine to rock-hard cardboard beds, athletes are using social media to vent about the village at the 2024 Olympics

Author of the article:

Theresa Balocating

Published Jul 31, 20243 minute read

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Why athletes are turning the 2024 Olympic village into a City of Flight (1)

Is it the food? Is it the cardboard beds? Is it the fact the 2024 Olympics are being hosted in one of the world’s great cities, offering much more to see outside the fence than inside?

Why athletes are turning the 2024 Olympic village into a City of Flight (2)

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Whatever the reason, there have been several reports of athletes leaving their designated living space well ahead of schedule this month in Paris. (Notably: One Brazilian swimmer was removed from the country by her team after sneaking out of the village to enjoy a night in Paris.)

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Consider Coco Gauff, the star U.S. tennis player.

“I’m the only one really [left at the village],” Gauff said, via ESPN. “Like, at first I was going to move, and then when I kept meeting all these amazing athletes staying in the village, and then Rafa [Nadal] is staying in the village. So I was like, if he can do it, I can do it. But I understand why my teammates left.”

Why would they leave?

The food has been mentioned more than once.

“I don’t think it’s very good, at least what we’re having in the dining hall,” U.S. gymnast Hezly Rivera told reporters. “I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s the best. But it gets the job done.”

(And that is setting aside the fact that, heading into the Opening Ceremony, organizers were reportedly rationing eggs in the village due to a shortage.)

The use of cardboard beds has become a topic of discussion. First introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, organizers in Paris leaned into them as a way of touting steps taken toward being a green Games, based on their environment benefits.

According to a video from the official Olympics YouTube account, “These sustainable beds are 100 per cent made in France and will be fully recycled in France after the Games.”

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The Canadian women’s rugby sevens team posted a (wonderfully fun) video demonstrating different ways of jumping on the bed, highlighting the durability and sturdiness of the cardboard bed frames.

Why athletes are turning the 2024 Olympic village into a City of Flight (5)

As for the mattresses, Australian field hockey player Nathan Ephraums posted a TikTok with the caption describing the mattress as a “Scrub Daddy” bed, referring to the sponge-like make of the cushions. Matilda Kearns, Australian water polo athlete, said the beds were “rock solid” while even sleeping on the “softer” option.

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Simone Biles also commented on Dana Joelle’s TikTok saying, “the bed sucks…… BUT we are getting mattress toppers so hopefully it’ll get better,” with a crossed-fingers emoji.

Swiss rower Celia Dupre said that athletes from most nations have opted for hotels instead of the Olympic Village due to the complex being too far from event venues in a TikTok. The organizers had said that the village would be within 25 minutes of competition venues, however, due to timing and traffic, it would be a “logistical nightmare.”

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Dupre says she is “not necessarily mad” that they are staying outside of the village to focus on their sport.

“We stayed one night in the village, and I didn’t sleep,” she said. “The Olympic duvet was really itchy, and it was really hot.”

On July 27, Gauff posted a TikTok video with the caption “10 girls, two bathrooms,” drawing attention to the limited space and bathroom facilities shared among ten athletes.

Zahria Allers-Liburd, representing St. Kitts and Nevis in track and field shared a that he had lost five pounds in a few days since eating the Olympic Village food: “I need a Chipotle bowl ASAP.”

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Why athletes are turning the 2024 Olympic village into a City of Flight (2024)

FAQs

Why are athletes turning the 2024 Olympic Village into a city of flight? ›

Swiss rower Celia Dupre said that athletes from most nations have opted for hotels instead of the Olympic Village due to the complex being too far from event venues in a TikTok.

What might be some advantages for a city hosting the Olympic Games? ›

The Olympics can bring a range of benefits and drawbacks to its host city. Countries and cities are often compelled to bid for the privilege of hosting the games, in hopes that it will stimulate the development of infrastructure, draw tourisms dollars, and boost employment.

What happens in Olympic Village? ›

Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes during the two weeks of the Games, as well as officials and athletic trainers. After the Games are over, the Olympic Village is typically sold or rented to the local population and turned into a new residential zone for the host city.

Which sport will be dropped from the 2024 Olympics? ›

With breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing all earning roster spots in the 2024 Paris Games, their promotion sadly means that multiple sports are getting the boot. Come July, three sports will be absent from the City of Light, including karate, softball and the heavy hitter, baseball.

Can you leave the Olympic Village? ›

Team USA women's tennis players and South Korean swimmers are said to have headed for the exits. But some competitors enjoy daily life inside the village complex.

Why hosting the Olympics isn t worth it anymore? ›

The cost of hosting the Olympics almost always exceeds the estimated budget. The Paris games are already expected to exceed the originally budgeted cost in the bid by at least 115%. Note: Costs only include direct costs related to the sports infrastructure and events. Costs are in real 2022 US dollars.

How many athletes stay in the Olympic Village? ›

For just over two weeks, it will accommodate roughly 14,000 competitors before housing 8,000 during the Paralympic Games this month. These are elite athletes — and they understandably receive their perks.

Do cities still want to host the Olympics? ›

This declining interest prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles, the only other bidder for the 2024 Games, without undertaking a public bidding process. The reduced interest in hosting the Games has been influenced in large part by negative public opinion.

What is the impact of being an Olympic host city? ›

Still, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its supporters contend that hosting can raise a city's global profile and generate economic benefits through tourism and investments in infrastructure. Recent games have highlighted the ongoing debate over the costs and benefits of hosting such a mega-event.

How much does it cost to host the Olympics in 2024? ›

€4.38bn for the Paris 2024 Organising Committee budget; 100% private funding for the organisation of the Olympic Games; IOC allocation: €1.2bn (including TV rights (€750m) and TOP partnerships (€470m)); Ticketing / Hospitality / Licensing: €1.4bn (ticketing (€1.1bn), hospitality (€170m), and licensing (€127m));

Why can't athletes leave the Olympic Village? ›

A U.S. Olympic Committee spokesperson said it's not uncommon for its athletes to choose not to live in the village for a number of reasons. Some start in the village and leave for training, to stay with family, or go to their competitions further away.

Does LeBron stay at the Olympic Village? ›

Over the next two weeks, the Olympic Village in Paris' suburbs will house more than 14,000 athletes—but LeBron James won't be one of them. Neither will Stephen Curry, Breanna Stewart or any of the other men's and women's basketball players representing Team USA at the Paris Games.

Does Team USA stay in Olympic Village? ›

In most years, USA Basketball, the sport's national governing body, has placed its athletes in luxury hotels outside the Olympic ecosystem, as it did at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021, although the players' accommodations at two previous Olympics, in Athens in 2004 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, were a bit more exotic, ...

What city turned down the Olympics? ›

Winner: Denver

The original sites submitted in the 1970 bid satisfied a requirement of proximity to the Olympic Village (at the University of Denver). Later that year on 7 November, Colorado voters rejected partially funding the games in a referendum, and for the first time a city awarded an Olympics rejected them.

Where will the Olympic Village be in 2028? ›

UCLA has been selected as the site for the Olympic Village for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Olympic athletes and support personnel will be housed in student residence halls on the Hill, with some Olympic events taking place at facilities like Pauley Pavilion and the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

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