Fabien Explored Paris City the Day Before Opening Ceremony
"Notorious French Public Urination 'Serious'"
French-born broadcaster Fabian Yoon arrived in Paris, where the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held, and revealed the sight of portable toilets lined up on the streets.
On the 25th, Fabian posted a video titled "Paris Olympics Start! Are We Really Ready?" on his YouTube channel, sharing the atmosphere of the city of Paris.
Temporary restrooms installed in Paris, France, the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics. The men's urinals are installed without partitions. [Photo by Fabian YouTube]
Fabian, who went to Paris as a special Olympic commentator for SBS, rode a shared bicycle around the city the day before the opening ceremony to personally verify various controversies surrounding the Paris Olympics. The city was under heavy control that day. Certain areas required presenting a QR code issued only to Olympic ticket holders for entry.
Because of this, there were almost no pedestrians in Paris that day. Usually crowded tourist spots such as the Champs-?lys?es, the Louvre Museum, the Seine River vicinity, and ?le de la Cit? were all quiet.
Fabian said, "I have lived in Paris for 22 years, and although it is vacation season, this is the first time I have seen Paris so empty," adding, "Restaurant and hotel prices have risen a lot, so there aren't many people."
In the video, he introduced the portable toilets lined up on the streets, saying, "I saw something a bit shocking."
Fabian explained, "France is actually notorious for public urination," and "Paris has very few public toilets, so public urination is a serious problem."
Paris has long struggled with public urination and odor issues due to a shortage of public restrooms, many of which are paid. Ahead of the national event, the Olympics, Paris installed additional portable toilets to improve the city's image.
Fabian said, "I only knew about this from articles, but seeing it in person, it really exists."
The video shows urinals for men lined up on the streets without much partition. Portable toilet booths designed for defecation were also installed right next to them.
Earlier, France installed a total of 1,400 units in different zones near the Seine River, including 900 portable toilets and 500 portable urinals.
Additionally, out of 435 existing public restrooms in the city, 185 in poor condition were replaced with new ones. A mobile app was also made available to provide a map showing free restroom locations throughout Paris.
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