Hyderabad: The rising temperatures in the French capital have everyone competing in the Paris 2024 struggling to cope with them and the Indian contingent is facing a similar difficulty. However, the Indian sports ministry has come to the rescue of the Indian athletes sending 40 portable AC units to the Indian contingent for their comfort.
“Taking into consideration the issues faced by athletes at the Olympic Games village because of the sudden rise in temperature and humidity in Paris, a coordination meeting was held between the Sports Ministry, SAI, IOA, and Indian Embassy in France on Friday morning (IST 11am) and it was decided that the Indian Embassy in France would buy 40 ACs in Paris and provide it at the games village rooms where the Indian athletes are staying. Consequent to the decision, the Indian Embassy in France has already purchased the ACs, which have already been delivered to the Games village,” Sports Authority of India (SAI) said in an official release.
The ACs are plug-and-play units and athletes have already started using the ACs. It is expected that with this they will have a more comfortable stay and get better rest which is much needed for a good performance. The cost of all the ACs have been borne by the Sports Ministry. Paris and Chateauroux which are two main venues for the Olympics have witnessed temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius so far. Even during the Men’s 50m Rifle 3-Positions final, all the competitors were struggling.
Even before the start of the Paris Games, the organisers decided against providing AC services to the athletes to cut the carbon footprint at the event. The move was opposed by many contingents and they raised several concerns about the decision.
