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Paris Olympics: China takes mattresses, air conditioning and chefs in bid to gain edge

  • Organisers vowed to host the ‘greenest’ Games ever, but China is leaving nothing to chance in race for gold

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A member of the Chinese swimming team arrives in Paris with their own mattress. Photo: Handout

Paris may have promised the greenest Olympics ever, but China is leaving nothing to chance in its bid to find an edge in the race for gold, and has taken mattresses, air conditioning units and even its own chefs to the French capital.

Officials have also hung the Chinese flag from every bedroom window of the rooms the delegation will be occupying in the Olympic Village to add “a splash of colour” and provide athletes with “a tremendous force for us to go forward”.

In a bid for eco-friendliness, organisers of this year’s Games used 95 per cent pre-existing or temporary structures to minimise the city’s carbon footprint, and prioritised sustainability in the construction of the Olympic Village.

The committee’s pledge materialised in cardboard-made beds and stools, bedside tables made of recycled badminton shuttlecocks, twice the standard amount of plant-based food options – among others.

While red trucks loaded with accommodation essentials arrive in Paris, videos of Chinese athletes carrying their own accommodations have caused a buzz on Dou Yin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Like many delegations, China have arranged for their athletes to have air conditioning. Photo: Handout
Like many delegations, China have arranged for their athletes to have air conditioning. Photo: Handout

Air conditioning

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