Olympians Put Cardboard Beds to the Test, But It’s Not What You Think

Talking about a lack of air conditioning during the Summer Games is one way athletes can break the ice.

Olympic organizers have opted to forgo a.c. in the Olympians’ rooms and instead rely on another way to stay cool.

“We designed these buildings so that they would be comfortable places to live in in the summer, in 2024 and later on,” Yann Krysinski, SVP of SOLIDEO (the entity in charge of the major infrastructures for the Olympics), told Reuters in February, “and we don’t need air conditioning in these buildings because we oriented the facades so that they wouldn’t get too much sun during the summer, and the facades, the insulation is really efficient.”

He added, “We also are providing naturally cool water that we’re getting from underground to cool the air of these apartments. So you will not need air conditioning in the summer here.”

Still, not all competitors were chill with this decision, and the United States Olympic Committee’s CEO Sarah Hirshland previously confirmed Team USA will have air conditioning in their rooms. According to The Washington Post, Britain, Canada, and Italy’s teams are among those bringing a.c. units as well.