Olympic athletes to bring personal AC units to Summer Games despite eco-friendly push
Paris will host the XXXIII Olympic Summer Games from July 26, 2024, through August 11, 2024. According to climate data, the metro region has a population of around 12,000,000 people and has a similar summer climate to that of Seattle.
Paris prepares for the 2024 Summer Olympics
The summer Olympics are one year away and organizers are busy preparing for the games.
PARIS – As thousands of athletes prepare to ascend on the Summer Games in France, some Olympic committees appear determined to have cooling devices available in facilities that were constructed without air conditioning.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee recently announced it has joined a growing list of nations promising that its athletes will have comfortable living quarters.
Game organizers constructed many facilities without AC in an effort to cut down on the carbon footprint and make the events the most sustainable in modern history.
Representatives for SOLIDEO, the organization responsible for the infrastructure, have maintained the buildings were designed to keep temperatures several degrees cooler than the outdoors, negating the need for AC.
"We will have air conditioning in the rooms in the village. We have great respect for the work that's been done by the Paris Organizing Committee in particular, and their focus on sustainability," U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said during a recent news conference.
France's location in Western Europe allows for a temperate climate pattern to dominate the weather for many of the country’s 68 million residents.
According to data from Météo-France, the country’s national weather agency, a typical late July or early August day starts out with a low around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and warms up to near 80 degrees.
Its position on the continent also adds to its vulnerability of becoming trapped under ridges of high pressure which can result in temperatures that reach over 100 degrees.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Paris was during a multi-day heat wave that sent the mercury soaring to 108.7 degrees Fahrenheit on July 25, 2019.
Expected temperature anomalies in Europe during July (TropicalTidbits.com / FOX Weather)
Climate forecast models show temperatures for the upcoming Olympics will be warmer than average but likely below historic values.
As is typical during heat waves, precipitation is often scarce, and it appears that will be the case during the games.
Paris typically only sees around 2 to 3 inches of precipitation during each of the summer months, a statistic that models concur will likely be the maximum from any rain event that occurs.
Expected precipitation anomalies in Europe during July (TropicalTidbits.com / FOX Weather)
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The delegation from the U.S. aims to be one of the largest ever to compete in the Summer Games, with more than 500 athletes. Therefore, extensive preparations are underway to ensure that Mother Nature does not interfere.
"As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA's performance, and 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, and the predictability and consistency of what they're accustomed to. And so, yes, we will have air conditioners," Hirshland stated.
The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad mark the third occasion that the City of Lights has hosted the event, with previous Summer Games taking place in 1924 and 1900.
The opening ceremony is set to kick off competitions on July 26 and the games will conclude on August 11.
This time frame gives organizers just over two weeks to prepare for the Paralympic Games, which will feature more than 4,000 athletes in the same venues.