M’sian Shuttler Installs Own Air-Con In Olympic Village Room, Sparks Concern Over Living Conditions There

Paris is currently going through a heatwave yet the athletes are reportedly only given a standing fan in their dorms.

The athletes at the Paris Olympics definitely need ample rest to be in tip-top condition, but can you imagine how hard is it to sleep well when your room is as hot as an oven?

Earlier this week, Malaysian shuttler Goh Jin Wei shared on Instagram her living conditions at the Olympic Village.

The 24-year-old was defeated by South Korea’s world number 17 Kim Ga Eun in their singles match on Wednesday (Jul 31).

In her post, Jin Wei revealed that her two-bedder room came only with a standing fan. She proceeded to set up her own portable air-conditioning unit.

She had to attach an exhaust pipe to the air-con to channel hot air out of the window.

According to reports, Paris is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 30°C during the day.

France’s meteorological agency also just issued a ‘yellow alert’ hot weather warning for Paris and its surrounding areas on Tues (Jul 30) as temperatures are expected to go up to 35°C.

So how are the athletes supposed to withstand the immense heat with only one fan in their rooms? That’s a question many netizens now want answers to.

“What a nightmare! Not only are the rooms not well-equipped, there was no assistance to set the air-cons up for the athletes,” complained a netizen while another ranted: “Seriously? No aircon, how to sleep?”

A netizen also joked that Jin Wei can consider installing air-cons for a living after the Olympics seeing how she “looks like an expert at it”.

But why no air-cons in the Olympic Village though? Is it due to a budget constraint?

Well, it’s apparently for a good cause.

According to The Guardian, the organisers did without air-conditioning in the dorms as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.

The decision is said to be in line with their aim to reduce the Games’ total carbon emissions to half of the previous Olympics.

Nonetheless, the officials assured that the rooms for the athletes would be kept cool through a geothermal cooling system beneath the buildings.

A spokesperson also said in order to tackle the current heat issue in the rooms, athletes are now provided mobile air-conditioning units “at their own expense”.

We presume that means they can pay to have air-con?

The athletes are also advised to keep their windows opened at night and their blinds closed in the day.

Photos: Goh Jin Wei/Instagram