Suni Lee Reveals 'Cardboard Beds' In Olympic Room Tour Video

With the 2024 Paris Olympics kicking off on Friday, July 26, Olympian Suni Lee is treating sports fans to an exclusive sneak peek at her hotel accommodations, which seems to be far from gold.

Earlier this week, Suni Lee shared a video on social media, showing off her tiny cubicle, which she will be sharing with Jordan Chiles, her "cardboard" bed, single pillow, and tiny closet (if it can even be called that.)

Many might assume that athletes are treated like royalty during the Olympics, but the rooms they stay in are not as glamorous as expected.

Olympian Suni Lee shared a room tour video on social media, revealing a tiny cubical-style room just big enough for two "cardboard" beds, each with one pillow, and a closet that is merely a small metal shelving unit.

The room does have a tiny outdoor balcony, which gives a view of the city and allows for some fresh air, but the air conditioning unit is quite small.

In their effort to host what they’re calling the “greenest ever Games,” organizers decided not to install air conditioning at the complex where thousands of athletes and officials will stay throughout the season.

Instead, the Athletes' Village will be cooled by a system of water pipes running beneath the floorboards. “This village was designed to avoid the need for air conditioning, even in very, very high temperatures, in order to maintain comfortable temperatures," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said, per NPR in March.

A growing number of countries are providing their athletes with portable air conditioning units instead, with the U.S. being one of them.

On training day, Simone Biles captivated headlines after her official podium training and after a flawless Yurchenko double pike on the vault she stuck the landing on!

Coach, Cecile Landi, spoke out following Thursday's training day, expressing,  "The whole team, you know, [the vibe] is bright. It's the Olympic Games... The rings are everywhere, you know? So we feel much better. The girls feel good. We feel good."

Joining Biles on Team USA are Suni Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion; Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, both two-time Olympians; and 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera.

"The whole team, they were excited to finally start," Landi added. "I think it's been just, you know, a little bit dragging the whole... U.S. Championships, Trials, camp, all of that. We're finally here. The arena is beautiful. The girls feel it. It's like kind of cozy with the black seats, a big change from Tokyo. ... The colour scheme is awesome. We really, really love it and feel like it's calming. I don't know, it's weird, but that's how it is."

According to the Associated Press, workers went on strike Thursday at the five-star Hôtel du Collectionneur in Paris, where members of the International Olympic Committee are staying. They walked out just a day before the opening ceremony of the Games.

According to the major French union CGT, the IOC paid the hotel 22 million euros ($23.88 million) for exclusive use of the facility.

Employees held signs reading, “No 13th month, no Olympics!,” “Luxury hotel, poverty wages,” and “Give us back our social benefits.” Many companies in France pay their workers a bonus in December, known as the “13th month.”

“Negotiations with the unions are underway, without affecting the operation of our hotel,” management for Hôtel du Collectionneur said in a statement Thursday, per the AP. “Our teams remain mobilized and committed to ensuring that our services run smoothly.

As Paris gears up for the Summer Olympics, which only occurs every four years, the city is deploying thousands of additional police officers, gendarmes, and military personnel to manage crowds, secure venues, and respond to any incidents.

They are also implementing advanced counter-terrorism strategies, including the use of intelligence operations, surveillance technologies, and collaboration with international security agencies.

The 2024 Olympics opening ceremony will take place on July 26.