If you’re wondering what it’s like inside the Olympic Village at the 2024 Paris Olympics, athletes from around the world have you covered.
Olympians representing the U.S., Australia, the Philippines and other countries are using social media to give fans a detailed look inside the complex they will call home during the Summer Games.
For the next two and a half weeks, Olympians will reside in Paris' Olympic Village — also referred to as the athletes village — as highlighted in a TikTok by Team Great Britain rower Rebecca Edwards.
The development features a variety of recreational areas and spaces for Olympians to train, mingle and unwind as they “go for the gold.” But it seems there was a slight oversight in the design for the complexes where the athletes live.
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Each competitor is assigned a section of the complex based on which country they represent at the Games. The buildings are outfitted with banners and flags, but there is one crucial detail inside the rooms that is missing: curtains.
Team USA runner Chari Hawkins uploaded a video to TikTok that showed her giving a mini tour of her room. She highlighted the windows and said they were “awesome” because she can see all the athletes representing different countries across from her.
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“Yay, that’s super fun,” she said before pointing out, “there are no curtains.”
Needing to resort to some DIY skills, Hawkins shared that she found a large olympic towel that sticks to the window head.
She placed the towel so that it draped over the window pane. “Now, we have some privacy,” she said.
But, she added, that privacy is short-lived. Hawkins said she needs to use her speed to help her change in time before her “curtains” fall.
“You have a time clock because this is sticky and it’s going to fall down eventually,” she explained. “So, if I’m getting out of the shower or if I’m changing, I put this up and then I literally change as humanly fast as possible. Because if not, this comes down nice and easy.”
As for some other interesting interior design choices in the athlete's living quarters, the cardboard beds that were first introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have, indeed, returned.
Australian tennis star Daria Saville shared a tour of her apartment at the Olympic Village on TikTok. She then highlighted the beds’ customizable features, including different mattress firmness and an extendable frame to suit an athlete’s size.
Each apartment appears to have several bedrooms, with two beds in each room. There are also common areas and bathrooms.
Team USA’s tennis star Coco Gauff shared a video from the Olympic Village with clips of her living space’s bathroom, a glimpse at one of the beds — and all her roommates.
“10 girls, two bathrooms. #olympicvillage,” she wrote over the video, with a background audio of someone screaming.
NBC News reports that the athletes’ rooms were built without A/C units to promote sustainability during the Games. It appears that some athletes may have brought portable air conditioners and fans. In Hawkins’ video, she said she removed her A/C unit from the window to hang her makeshift curtains.
There is much more to the Olympic Village than its accommodations. There's a beauty salon, for example, where athletes can enjoy complimentary hair and nail services, per an Instagram video by Filipino American gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar, who is representing the Philippines at the Summer Games.
As for meals, the athletes village's dining hall offers a wide array of food for athletes to choose from, such as French, Asian and halal options, per a TikTok by Australian boxer Tina Rahimi.
New Zealand swimmer Lewis Clareburt showcased the dining hall’s variety in a TikTok, enjoying dumplings, salad and shrimp from the different stations.
Athletes also have access to a grocery store in the Olympic Village, per another one of Jung-Ruivivar’s Instagram videos. The store resembles a standard supermarket and offers a variety of products, including fresh produce, snacks and toiletries.
There is an on-site post office, as well, where athletes can send postcards from the Olympic Village, according to a TikTok from Australian canoeist Jessica Fox. The best part? The stamp on the postcard features the athlete’s own face.
Athletes have access to a laundry service within the Olympic Village too. According to a video posted on Saville’s TikTok, the service is situated in the Serbia building, and athletes can drop off their clothes in laundry bags that are provided.
After the 2024 Paris Olympics, the athletes village is set to be transformed into a residential and commercial neighborhood, according to the Olympics official website.
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