Paris Olympics: 'Greenest' Olympics to combat heatwave with no AC

As part of making the Paris 2024 Olympics the 'Greenest Ever,' air conditioners will not be used in the athlete's village. This change is expected to reduce carbon emissions by around 1.75 million tonnes, making these games the most sustainable ever.

However, the US Olympic Team have planned to carry their own portable air conditioners, and other countries like Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Greece, and Italy are likely to follow suit.

Why are people suddenly talking about air conditioners?

According to a report by the British Association for Sustainable Sport, "The Rings of Fire 2," explains that Europe is expected to have an extremely hot summer, with heatwaves affecting the upcoming Olympics.

Since the last Olympics in Paris in 1924, the average temperature in the city has risen by a whopping 3.1°C.

Adding to that Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, warned that rising global temperatures are a serious threat to sports.

To combat the heat at the Olympic Village, Paris will use a geothermal cooling system.

This system uses water-cooled of four degrees Celsius from wells seventy metres underground. This water will flow through pipes under the floors of each apartment, cooling the buildings by six to ten degrees Celsius compared to the outside temperature.

For those worried about the system's effectiveness during a heatwave, the delegation at the village will offer the option to rent individual air conditioning units.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the village was "designed to avoid the need for air conditioning, even in very, very high temperatures."

What are Team India's plans?

While Indians are used to extreme weather conditions - from the chilly winter to the hot summer - athletes will be pushing their bodies to the limit during the Paris Olympics. IOA will face a big challenge as it will have to help athletes recover in time to get ready for the events.