Athletes share confusing bedroom detail in Olympic Village

Behind-the-scenes footage from inside the athletes village in Paris is captivating audiences around the world as tens of millions tune into the 2024 Olympic Games.

While sports enthusiasts cheer on their home countries as the Olympic schedule ramps up, a whole new generation of spectators are getting a very different glimpse of life at the Games, as athletes pull back the proverbial curtain on life inside the village, sharing the quirks of their stay on social media.

TikTok is playing an increasingly important role in the way athletes connect with their fans and has certainly risen in popularity since the Tokyo Games. Athletes are sharing their first-hand encounters of the food they're being served, the strict systems they're made to adhere to and even what their bedrooms look like.

Confusion as rooms seemingly fitted without blinds, US athlete says

Such was the case throughout the opening weekend where a string athletes claimed their rooms weren't fitted with blinds or curtains, which prompted some to question how such a "huge oversight" occurred.

US track and field competitor Chari Hawkins was one of these athletes who shared the confusing vision online. "OK, so I'm in my room at the Olympic village, and these are the windows," she began in the video.

"This is awesome, there's a lot of people across from you," she said pointing at her athlete neighbours in a parallel building. "Yay, that's super fun," Hawkins said. "But there are no curtains — no curtains."

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The footage then shows Hawkins erect a makeshift blind using a towel, to ensure her "privacy". Another US athlete Mariah Denigan shared a similar video, in which she also crafts a curtain, but this time using foil. "Who said athletes aren't smart? If there's a will, there's a way," she said.

While hundreds responded to each video and agreed it was bizarre the rooms didn't feature any sort of curtain, other athletes shared how there are in fact blinds installed, simply on the outside of window, which is activated using a switch near the bed frame.

Kiwi swimmer debunks 'no blinds' theory

New Zealand swimmer Eve Thomas detailed exactly how the blockout blinds are used in her own video.

"Black out blinds have me waking up not knowing what day it is. So good for midday naps when racing or training," she said.

While athletes aren’t permitted to film or share any video from competition venues within one hour of the start of the event, in accordance with the Games’ strict licensing rules, they are allowed to document life in the village. But they are prohibited from live streaming on social media or posting videos over two minutes in length .

Aussie athletes reveal 'rock solid' cardboard beds

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka gave her fans a tour of her bedroom while British springboard diver (famous for his love of knitting) posted a video of him showing just how sturdy the cardboard beds are.

Meanwhile Aussie waterpolo player Matilda Kearns documented her and her teammates' struggles after the first night sleeping on the infamous cardboard beds. "It's actually rock solid," she says in the clip that has been watched more than 14 million times.

The waterpolo girls also revealed their noisy neighbours with other Oceania athletes singing "beautiful" songs in the village.

Games off to shaky start

The Olympic Games run until August 11 in the French capital, with millions having already descended on the city from across the world.

Just two days into the Games and the event has already been shrouded in controversy, with Olympics organisers forced to cancel training for the triathlon and marathon swim amid concerns around the quality of the water in the River Seine.

They're now considering changing the triathlon to a bike-run duathlon and moving the marathon swimming to the rowing venue after the latest tests on the water quality of the River Seine revealed it was below the standard required to authorise swimming.

Meanwhile, Australians travelling to Paris should be ultra-aware of "the heightened security risks", a public safety expert told Yahoo News Australia.

The caution comes after news broke on Wednesday of two Channel 9 staff members being robbed and assaulted while in Paris to cover the Games. An Australian woman was also attacked last week in an alleged gang rape by a group of five men.

Australians heading to France for the Olympics in Paris or otherwise, are being encouraged to "exercise a high degree of caution". Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Senior Lecturer of Public Safety and Disaster Risk at UNSW, Dr Milad Haghani, warns tourists are "easy targets," adding travellers must avoid complacency to stay safe.

"Tourists, being unfamiliar with the local language and high-risk areas, are easy targets," he said. "They often struggle with reporting crimes and navigating local systems after an incident, and criminals are aware of this and take advantage of it."

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