"Afraid to Change Clothes Without Curtains"…Beautiful Track Athlete's 'Complaint' [Paris Olympics]

Concerns Raised Over Paris Olympic Village
"No Curtains on Windows... Changing Clothes at Full Speed"
Athletes' Complaints Increase Over Poor Meals and Cardboard Beds

The Paris Olympic Village accommodations, already suffering from issues such as 'cardboard beds,' 'scorching heat,' and 'poor meal quality,' have now been embroiled in controversy over 'windows without curtains.'

American track and field athlete Shari Hawkins. [Photo by Shari Hawkins SNS]

On the 29th, American track and field athlete Chari Hawkins revealed the situation of the Olympic Village accommodations lacking curtains through her social media. Hawkins showed a scene outside her window where various national teams had hung their flags on their accommodations, sarcastically commenting, "It's amazing and funny. There are no curtains in the accommodations."

She also claimed that the absence of curtains on the windows was an invasion of privacy. Hawkins explained, "I am using a large towel provided by the Olympic organizing committee, taped to the window as a substitute for curtains," adding, "The towel cannot be fixed in place for a long time. Therefore, I only put the towel up when I finish showering or changing clothes and change as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the towel falls off, which is dangerous."

The complaints about the accommodations are not limited to the curtains. On the 26th, Andy Anson, head of the British Olympic Association (BOA), pointed out the quality of food at the Paris Olympics, stating, "There is a problem with food quality at the Paris Olympics," and added, "Eggs, chicken, and certain carbohydrates are insufficient, and the meat provided to athletes is served raw."

British diving athlete Thomas Daley is seen testing the performance of a 'cardboard bed.'
[Photo by Thomas Daley SNS]

The Paris Olympics also drew criticism for reusing the cardboard beds that were criticized at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On the 24th, many Olympic athletes, including British diver Thomas Daley, conducted their own 'cardboard bed test.' They vigorously jumped and rolled on the beds made of cardboard to check their durability.

Additionally, the shuttle buses running between the Olympic Village and venues are not equipped with air conditioning. Moreover, the limited number of seats forces athletes to stand for long periods in the sweltering heat. Korean national swimming representative Kim Woo-min (Gangwon Province Office) said, "I heard that a foreign athlete fainted after getting off the bus," adding, "The bus is extremely hot. The windows are also blocked from being opened."

These issues stem from France's commitment to making the Paris Olympics an eco-friendly event by reducing carbon emissions. While the intention is commendable, the Paris Olympics have been marred by numerous embarrassing mistakes, such as mistakenly calling our national team 'North Korea' during the opening ceremony on the 27th and misspelling athletes' names. These errors have left an indelible stain on Olympic history, making it impossible to erase the disgrace of this edition.