Top Line
With just a month to go until the Summer Olympics in Paris, and athletes from around the world preparing to compete on the world stage, some issues have already begun to impact the games, from political unrest in France to complaints about flimsy cardboard beds.
The Olympic rings in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Key Facts
Political turmoil: In France, the left-wing New Popular Front won the most seats in the National Assembly in Sunday’s general election but fell short of a majority, leaving parliament in limbo and sparking violent protests and clashes with police, making it unclear who will be in top government positions when the Olympics begin.
Pollution of the Seine: Officials have said some Olympic swimming events, including the triathlon and marathon, may be postponed, canceled or moved to other parts of Paris because of high levels of E. coli found in the Seine, but the city has already spent $1.5 billion to clean up the river.
Seine River “Poo Protest”: What began as an online joke was planned as a protest against pollution of the Seine and was scheduled for June 23, the same day that President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo were scheduled to swim in the river to prove its safety, but it is unclear whether the protest actually took place as the swim was postponed due to the election.
The Olympic Village has no air conditioning: Paris Olympic officials said there would be no air conditioning in athletes’ living quarters in order to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, but countries including the United States, Britain, Australia, Italy, Canada, Greece and Denmark plan to bring their own air conditioners for athletes, concerned that a heatwave could affect their performance.
“Anti-sex” bed rumours: The Olympic Village will be equipped with tiny twin beds made from cardboard frames and recycled fishing net mattresses. Some media outlets and former athletes have claimed that these are “anti-sex” beds that would collapse under the weight of multiple people, but organisers have denied the allegations and said the materials were used to reduce the Olympics’ environmental impact by making the bed frames recyclable.
How do I watch the Olympics?
NBC is the lead Olympic broadcaster in the United States, and will have at least nine hours of live coverage of each day of competition. NBC sister networks CNBC, Telemundo, USA and NBCSN will also broadcast select competition. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, will have live coverage of all competition. Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on July 26 will begin at 12:00 pm EDT on NBC and Peacock, with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo beginning at 1:00 pm EDT.
How many athletes will compete in the Olympics?
Some 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete in 329 events across 45 sports, the second-highest number of Olympic events after the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which featured 339 events.
Amazing facts
This isn’t the first time Olympic organizers have come under fire for using cardboard bed frames. Tokyo Olympics organizers also used cardboard, which led to similar claims that the beds were meant to deter sexual activity. The rumors were fueled in part by the Olympics’ COVID-19 “no intimacy” rules that were in place at the time. The beds were unveiled in January 2020, before the pandemic began, and officials said they were designed to be disassembled and recycled after the Games were over.
Why is the Olympic Village eco-friendly?
Sustainability is one of the three pillars of the Olympic Agenda 2020, a set of recommendations outlining the future of the Olympics. The sustainability plan encourages host cities to implement greener strategies, reduce travel impacts and carbon emissions, and incorporate sustainability into daily operations. Paris Olympics officials say the Olympic Villages are an eco-friendly project aimed at transforming the area into usable areas for locals after the Olympics. Officials estimate that the villages, located in three different cities, will be converted into housing and offices suitable for 6,000 residents and 6,000 workers by 2025. Organizers said they will halve greenhouse gas emissions from the last Summer Olympics to align with the Paris Agreement’s goal of reducing regional carbon emissions by 100% by 2050.
tangent
Olympian Simone Biles appeared to call out former teammate Mikayla Skinner for criticizing the 2024 USA Gymnastics Team in a since-deleted YouTube video. In a video last month, Skinner said, “Simone aside, I feel like the talent and depth of the team isn’t what it used to be.” Without naming anyone, Biles said in a thread post last week, “Not everyone needs a microphone and a stage.” Other members of the team include Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Childs and Hesley Rivera.
tangent
Pollution of the Seine could force the cancellation of the Paris Olympics (Forbes)
