Team GB pay for air conditioning to make up for Paris 2024’s eco-friendly offering – Watts Up With That?

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

h/t Ian Magness

If you thought Ed Miliband was potty enough, read on:

Team GB have hired air conditioning units inside their Olympic village rooms after Paris organisers opted for an environmentally-friendly under-floor system as their standard cooling method.

With temperatures in Paris surpassing 30C this week, managing heat is a major performance consideration but organisers decided against the blanket installation of air conditioning for athlete buildings that will become permanent residencies after the Games.

The in-built system uses river water to pump through under-floor pipes and although this is promised to provide cool air in hot weather conditions, as well as heat during the winter, Britain, the United States and Australia are among teams who also wanted traditional air conditioning.

Paris 2024 agreed to provide temporary air conditioning units, but these must be hired from organisers through what is known as a ‘rate card’ that countries can use for numerous ‘extras’ beyond the core facilities and services.

There are more than 7,000 rooms inside the Olympic Village and around 2,500 air conditioning units have now been added on request, meaning British athletes are understood to be among a minority to enjoy the added reassurance of a cool living environment.

Team GB decided more than a year ago that air conditioning was a priority for simple performance reasons, with sleep disrupted by heat cited as a major concern to athletes. While less environmentally friendly than simply relying on the under-floor cooling system, Team GB have pointed to the temporary and multi-use nature of the air conditioning units that have been installed.

Matt Carroll, the chief executive of the Australian Olympic Committee, said that “we appreciate the concept of not having air conditioning due to the carbon footprint” but added that “this is a high-performance Games, we’re not going for a picnic”.

The Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had appeared to rule out air conditioning as recently as March 2023, saying: “I have a lot of respect for the comfort of athletes, but I think a lot more about the survival of humanity.”

Tony Estanguet, the chief executive of Paris, 2024, said that they had “found a good compromise between offering the right temperature but also reducing our carbon emissions”.

The Paris Games is aiming to reduce its total carbon emissions to half the level of previous editions.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/07/19/team-gb-pay-air-conditioning-paris-2024-eco-friendly

If Mayor Hidalgo is worried about an extra degree of heat in summer, surely the answer is more air conditioning, not less?