Olympic athletes will be housed in the iconic Olympic Village, but they must follow the rules both in and out of competition. The iconic Olympic Village is returning to Paris about a century after the first athlete accommodations were built for the 1924 Summer Games.
Understandably, there have been many changes made to the housing since the small wooden huts were originally constructed. The Village will serve as living quarters for the best in the world as they compete against each other.
As such, its rules and regulations are enforced to ensure the safety and well-being of each country’s competitors. Let’s explore some of them.
Rules in the Olympic Village Have a Primary Goal
Team USA’s Olympic Village Director, Daniel Smith, gave an eye-opening exclusive interview to PEOPLE about the dos and don’ts athletes must follow in the village.
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The Olympic Village’s location is reportedly Saint-Denis, just north of Central Paris and on the Seine River. According to Smith, every delegation has its own set of guidelines. He said, “There are other countries who have different rules. Every delegation manages it differently.”
This also applies to who is allowed entry into the Olympic Village. Questions like “Can athletes leave the Olympic Village?” have been asked, among others, as people are curious to know how much freedom the athletes will get.
Athletes can mix and mingle with other countries, but there are strict policies regarding non-athlete entries on the grounds. According to Smith, the Team USA Olympic Committee has a “primary goal” in mind for its athletes when creating these rules.
He said, “So really our primary goal is to create a healthy and safe environment focused on high performance—and us, as staff, our primary function is to make it as distraction-free as possible.”
The Olympic Village officially opened its doors on Tuesday, July 18. This means all qualifying athletes can now move into their country’s residences. Of course, they did not have to move in on that exact day.
Rules Concerning Residence
Athletes must reside with the team they’re representing. This means Team USA must live with Team USA. Smith said that different countries can’t share an apartment.
He further explained, “There are different residential zones in the Olympic Village. They call them legacy. These are built, and they will be given to the community or sold in the community after the games, so they are apartment buildings that eventually will be individual towers.”
For the Olympics setup, Smith says the residence halls look like “clusters of buildings.” The amount of housing a country gets depends on the “size of the delegation.” While every delegation manages entry into the Olympic Village uniquely, Smith clarifies that Team USA only allows athletes and select staff into its quarters.
He said, “Based on your team size, you’re allotted a certain amount of accreditations.” That means family and friends of the athletes aren’t allowed access to the Olympic Village.
According to Smith, this is to ensure a “healthy and safe environment focused on high performance” and made as “distraction-free as possible.” Athletes who want to meet family can do so outside the village.
Exception to the Family and Friends Access Limitation in the Olympic Village.
Only athletes who are nursing mothers are allowed to bring their infants into the Village Nursery. Smith said, “There’s a specific nursery that’s run by P&G and they have a specific allotted time where they can go in and breastfeed.”
IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho said in a statement, “It is very helpful for both parents and infants to be able to spend time together, especially at such an important moment in an athlete’s sporting life.”
Rules Regarding Athlete Security
Athlete security is allowed to enter the Olympic Village at certain times. Smith listed the Olympic Opening Night Ceremony as one example. According to him, Team USA men’s basketball players will go to the dining hall with their security.
Smith clarified their stance towards private security by saying, “Their security is not living in, but they’ll come in for specific moments.”
Rules Regarding Mattress Customization
The infamous cardboard beds in the Olympic Village during the 2020 Tokyo Games made headlines, and they’re returning again for the 2024 Summer Olympics. According to Smith, “these beds are hard as rock” and “stiff.”
He adds, “They are literally cardboard that are pieced together. They’re like three pieces of cardboard… they come apart in different sections. A lot of ours have bed extensions on them that are also cardboard.”
The mattresses are stiff, too, but athletes can customize their mattresses to fit their personal preferences.
“There’s a space here in the Paris 2024 Village where they give you education on the mattresses—so based on your sleep type, they can show you how to flip the mattress,” Smith said. “Each side has a different comfort level based on your preference of firmness and so they’ll educate you on how you can flip the mattress.”
Athletes must also respect the Olympic Village’s quiet hours. This is to ensure the athletes get a good night’s rest. Quiet hours are enforced from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. local time.
Alcohol Is Prohibited in Team USA’s Olympic Village
Alcohol is not allowed in the Olympic Village for Team USA’s delegation, specifically. Smith said, “There’s no alcohol permitted in our buildings, pre-competition, during competition, or once competition has finished.”
He added, “Everyone is in competition mode until the games finish on August 12. So that is why we put those parameters in place.”
Rules Regarding Sex
Athletes can have sex in the Olympic Village as the sex ban from 2020’s Tokyo Olympics has been lifted. This has made people curious, leaving Google filled with questions like “How many condoms are used in the Olympic Village?”
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This year’s answer will come soon, but Team USA is doing what it can to promote a healthy environment for its athletes. According to Smith, around 600,000 condoms have been distributed to the Paris Olympic Village.
As for whether athletes from different countries are allowed to be intimate with each other, Smith says they will try to avoid that as much as possible, but “for security reasons.”
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