Surprising Amenities Olympic Athletes Enjoy Behind the Scenes

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are slated to kick off on July 26th with the Opening Ceremony. Athletes will be arriving and the torch will be lit, commencing the start of the games. For two weeks, various events will take place, and participants will stay in the Olympic Village. Paris made it a point of emphasis to be as eco-friendly as possible when creating the housing area. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of great amenities for contestants to enjoy while they’re representing their countries.

One of the most important things athletes can control is the food they put in their bodies. That’s why having a 24/7 dining hall is paramount for the Olympic Village. There are tons of flavors from around the world. Tons of French food will be served alongside American and Afro-Caribbean dishes. When competitors know they have an event the next day, they’ll be sure to indulge only on food that will help them.

Something that many folks might not think about is how important having a salon at the Olympic Village is. There are plenty of successful people around the world who talk about how much better they perform at their job when they feel confident. A salon is where tons of people go to get that little bit of extra confidence. Having a great haircut or getting a massage is a wonderful pregame ritual. For more Olympic content, click here to read about the record that’s lasted for 56 years.

To compile this list of surprising amenities Olympic athletes enjoy behind the scenes, 24/7 Tempo consulted Olympic-related sources. These include CNN, WWD, and NBC.

24/7 Dining

Seemingly everyone around the world would love to have an area to eat every hour of the day. Olympians have the privilege of having access to a dining hall that’s open around the clock for them. The best part for these athletes is there are tons of flavors from around the world to pick from. French food is the most prominent. Given the fact that the games are in Paris, that’s not surprising. Competitors have the choice of Asian and Latin foods as well.

It’s vital for athletes to ensure they’re only putting the best things inside their bodies. What they eat will affect their performance. If an athlete eats something healthy and salt-free, they will likely perform better than an athlete who eats sugary foods. Some competitors are superstitious about their pregame meals. Thankfully, they’ll have access to every type of food on the planet. A 24/7 dining area isn’t the only place where athletes can get food during the games.

Grocery Store

It might be strange to think, but a grocery store is the perfect thing for an athlete at the Olympic Village. There’s always a chance the athlete needs to grab something, like shampoo or deodorant. Tons of fans only think of the Olympics as what they see on screen. However, athletes stay at the housing for two weeks, until the games conclude. During those weeks, it’s highly likely they’ll need to stop at the store for something.

There are also tons of participants who use cooking as a way of calming their nerves. There’s a ton of pressure that comes along with representing your country on the biggest stage in the world. Some athletes also want complete control of the food they put in their bodies. While a 24/7 dining hall is a great way to get food, some people would rather cook their own food. The grocery store at the Olympic Village will be a place frequented by nearly every athlete at some point.

Salon

Every athlete in the world has supreme confidence in themselves. It’s part of the reason why they perform as well as they do on the biggest stage. One of the best ways to get confidence is by going to a salon. For men, a trip to a salon is typically fill with getting a haircut and a massage. Men who walk out of a haircut have a certain amount of confidence in themselves compared to someone who looks scruffy.

Women go to the salon for plenty of additional reasons. They get their hair done and massages. However, tons of women get their nails and toes done in addition. Even though fans can’t see their nails and toes at most Olympic events, women carry themselves with plenty of extra confidence when they get their upkeep done. Tons of athletes put in the work to get where they are, but looking and feeling your best is part of what makes an Olympian perform better than most.

Post Office

Imagine being an Olympian and wanting to mail postcards or memorabilia home to friends and family. There’s typically tons of extra security at regular post offices in the places where the Olympics are being held. However, athletes have access to mail anything they want at any given moment from the village. That’s because the Olympic Village in Paris contains a post office. It really feels like athletes can have a full day of errands inside just the village.

Some of the competitors won’t have the room to pack all of the things they get on their journey. For tons of people, this is one of the first times they’ve ever been to Paris. They’ll likely shop and purchase things they need to mail home to themselves. The athletes will meet tons of people from other countries, where they might exchange gifts. Given all of the beautiful views Paris has to put on postcards, tons of athletes will likely also be mailing those back home.

Bank

Most transactions done these days are with a debit or credit card. However, that doesn’t mean banks are obsolete in the real world. That means a bank is available to athletes at the Olympic Village as well. When athletes aren’t competing on the big stage, there are plenty who enjoy a game of cards with each other. For the most part, games of cards aren’t played for free. It’s always a little extra fun to have some stake in the game.

Side card games aren’t the only reason a bank is necessary to get cash from. Tons of street vendors and restaurants take tips in cash in Paris. Plenty of competitors are blessed financially and want to give back to the local community however they can while they’re abroad. Banks are one of the most frequented places in the regular world, so it’s easy to see why a bank was incorporated in the Olympic Village.

Shopping Mall

The last amenity the Olympic Village included for Paris is a shopping mall. Nearly everyone around the world knows that Paris is home to some of the best overall shopping in the world. Most athletes will try their best to escape the village and see the amazing stores that Paris has. Those who don’t find the time to do so will still be in luck, as the shopping mall has nearly everything a shopper could want.

There’s no telling how expensive the mall is compared to the areas where non-athletes spend their time and money. There are plenty of ways for athletes to stay entertained for the entire duration of their stay in Paris. For more Olympic content, click here to read about the most iconic stories of sportsmanship from the Summer Olympics.

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