M'sians Complain After Seeing Goh Jin Wei Install Her Own Aircond At The Olympic Village
Athletes have only been provided with a stand fan in their rooms amidst the sweltering Paris heat.
By May Vin Ang — 01 Aug 2024, 02:21 PM
Fans are questioning the condition of athletes' rooms at the Olympic Village in Paris after seeing Malaysian shuttler Goh Jin Wei install her own air-conditioning unit in her room
In an Instagram post, the national badminton star showed how she was only provided a stand fan in the two-bedded room.
In the viral video, Goh can be seen setting up the portable air-conditioning unit and attaching an exhaust hose to it to channel hot air out of the window.
According to BBC, Paris is currently going through a heatwave, with daytime temperatures exceeding 30°C daily.
With temperatures expecting to reach 35°C, France's meteorological agency just issued a 'yellow alert' hot weather warning for the capital and its surrounding areas on Tuesday, 30 July.
While some Malaysian supporters praised Goh for her resolve in handling the heat, many expressed concern that the athletes were not provided with a conducive environment to rest
"Seriously? No aircond, how to sleep?" exclaimed an Instagram user.
"Walao! What a nightmare! Shocking. Not only is the room not well-equipped, there was no assistance to set it up for the athletes," said another user.
Meanwhile, a fan commented in good humour, "Maybe you can take a job installing air-conditioning after this, you look like an expert at it! No matter what, keep up the spirit, Weiwei!"
The issue of forgoing air-conditioning in athletes' rooms at the Olympic Village has been a hot topic of discussion even before the Games
According to The Guardian, the Paris Games decided not to install air-conditioning as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.
The organiser's aim is to reduce its total carbon emissions to half the level of the previous Olympics.
Officials promised that the athletes' rooms would be kept cool through a geothermal cooling system underneath the buildings.
To solve the current heat issue in the rooms, a spokesperson said athletes are now being provided mobile air-conditioning units at their own expense, and are being advised to drink lots of fluids, open their windows at night, and keep their blinds closed during the day.
