Is Seoul Hot? ... Temperature Inside the Athletes' Village Rooms Without Air Conditioning [Paris Olympics]

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Fully Committed to Managing Athlete Conditioning

The temperature of the Korean national team's accommodation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Village, located in Saint-Denis, Paris, has been revealed, drawing attention.

On the 23rd (local time), 'Yonhap News' released a photo of a thermometer placed inside the Paris team accommodation. The humidity is at 56%, and the temperature is around 27 degrees Celsius. The 27 degrees corresponds to the temperature in Seoul on the morning of the 24th.

The possibility of a summer heatwave in France has been cited as a major concern for this Olympics. According to a report released earlier by the Australian sports organization 'FrontRunner,' the hottest period during a Summer Olympics was the previous Tokyo Olympics, with an average temperature of 34 degrees Celsius and humidity approaching 70%.

Room temperature inside the athlete's village at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Last year in France, over 5,000 people died from heat-related illnesses due to the summer heatwave. Additionally, since this Olympics promotes being 'eco-friendly,' there are no air conditioning facilities inside the Olympic Village.

However, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee has maximized 'natural cooling' by arranging buildings to promote air circulation and diversifying building sizes. This system reportedly can lower the internal temperature by about 6 to 7 degrees Celsius compared to the actual outside temperature.

Taegukgi Flag Hanging in the South Korean Athletes' Village at the Paris Olympics [Image Source=Yonhap News]

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee also plans to take thorough measures to prevent athletes from suffering due to the heat. They have separately procured coolers and placed them in each room, and have prepared 26 portable air conditioners to be provided to athletes upon request. Additionally, 'cooling jackets' using eco-friendly special refrigerants have been placed in the furniture inside the Olympic Village rooms. Considering the absence of window screens in the Olympic Village environment, mosquito repellents have also been prepared.

Meanwhile, the Olympic opening ceremony is scheduled to begin on the 26th.