LIFESTYLE

US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris, undercutting environmental plan

Jun 21, 2024, 11:27 AM

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic team is one of a handful that will supply air conditioners for their athletes at the Paris Games in a move that undercuts organizers’ plans to cut carbon emissions.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said Friday that while the U.S. team appreciates efforts aimed at sustainability, the federation would be supplying AC units for what is typically the largest contingent of athletes at the Summer Games.

“As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA’s performance,” Hirshland said. “In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada and Britain were among the other countries with plans to bring air conditioners to France.

Olympic organizers have touted plans to cool rooms in the Athletes Village, which will house more than 15,000 Olympians and sports officials over the course of the games, using a system of cooling pipes underneath the floors.

The average high in Paris on Aug. 1 is 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). The objective is to keep the rooms between 23-26 degrees (73-79 degrees Fahrenheit). The rooms will also be equipped with fans.

“I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has said about the plans for the Olympics.

According to the International Energy Agency, fewer than 1 in 10 households in Europe has air conditioning, and the numbers in Paris are lower than that. The study said that of the 1.6 billion AC units in use across the globe in 2016, more than half were in China (570 million) and the United States (375 million). The entire European Union had around 100 million.

The Olympics mark the most important stop on the athletic careers of the 10,500-plus athletes who will descend on Paris, which has led some high-profile countries to undercut environmental efforts for the sake of comfort.

“It’s a high-performance environment,” Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Strath Gordon explained to The Post.

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Lifestyle

FILE - A jewelers displays an engagement ring on May 14, 2014, in Jacksonville, N.C. (Maria Sestito...

Associated Press

$70,000 engagement ring must be returned after canceled wedding, Massachusetts high court rules

BOSTON (AP) — Who gets to keep an engagement ring if a romance turns sour and the wedding is called off? That’s what the highest court in Massachusetts was asked to decide with a $70,000 ring at the center of the dispute. The court ultimately ruled Friday that an engagement ring must be returned to […]

9 hours ago

Image: Patrons walk down the alley at Pike Place Market where the Gum Wall is located....

Steve Coogan

Chew on this: Cleaning of Gum Wall in Seattle to finish Friday

The famed Gum Wall at Pike Place Market in Seattle is getting a refresh for the first time since 2019 this week.

16 hours ago

Northern Arizona University's Jonny Bottorff took advantage of new NIL money making opportunities a...

Associated Press

Money in NCAA sports has changed life for a few. For many athletes, college degree remains the prize

PHOENIX (AP) — Sponsorship deals were far from Jonny Bottorff’s mind when he transferred to Northern Arizona University on a football scholarship. As money-making opportunities for college athletes have boomed since then, the offensive lineman has earned a few hundred dollars through name, image and likeness deals, but nothing that has changed his life. Bottorff, […]

24 hours ago

Photo: There are many fall activities in Western Washington....

Paul Holden

Weekend event digest: Numerous fall activities to choose from

With what felt like an extended Halloween over, the focus of weekend fun has shifted to autumn, with a multitude of fall activities in Western Washington.

1 day ago

FILE - A pharmacist holds a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Phot...

Associated Press

Don’t wait for a holiday surge. Now is a good time to get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you missed the early fall push for flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it’s not too late. Health officials say it’s important to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays, when respiratory bugs tend to spread with travel and indoor celebrations. Those viruses haven’t caused much trouble so far this fall. But COVID-19 tends […]

1 day ago

A Norway Spruce that will serve as this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is placed on a fla...

Associated Press

A green giant: This year’s 74-foot Rockefeller Christmas tree is en route from Massachusetts

WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A giant Norway spruce that will serve as this year’s Rockefeller Christmas tree was en route to New York City on Thursday from its tiny Massachusetts hometown. The 74-foot-high (23-meter-high) conifer was cut down Thursday morning in West Stockbridge and hoisted onto a flatbed truck by crane. It will travel […]

2 days ago

US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris, undercutting environmental plan