Coco Gauff Exposes Bathroom Struggles In Olympics Village: 10 People Sharing 2 Bathrooms
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on July 27, 2024 at 2:30 PM EDT
Between the Olympic Villages and the opening ceremony, it has already become one of the most controversial Olympics of all time, and now Coco Gauff is weighing in.
In a groundbreaking move toward inclusivity, drag queens headlined the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, bringing an impactful presence of the French LGBTQ+ community. However, the performance also faced criticism for featuring a tableau that some felt resembled “The Last Supper.”
In addition to the opening ceremony, the Olympic Villages continue to be a hot topic among sports fans. Now, tennis player Coco Gauffis bringing her followers inside her place, exposing the living arrangements.
Coco Gauff Gives Insight Into Olympic Village Living Conditions
In the video, Gauff appears overwhelmed as she quickly films through two bedrooms in the village. The footage shows numerous athletes doing their hair and makeup, and getting dressed.
"10 girls, two bathrooms #olympicvillage," Gauff wrote over the clip, which is set to the sound "feminine rage."
This comes days after gymnast Suni Lee shared a video, giving fans a glimpse into her living space at the Olympic Village, which shows off the cramped cubicle she'll be sharing with Jordan Chiles--complete with a "cardboard" bed, a single pillow, and a closet so small it barely deserves the name.
Team USA Arrives With Personal Air Conditioning Units
In an effort to host the "greenest Games ever," organizers opted out of installing air conditioning in the complex housing thousands of athletes and officials for the season. Instead, they've implemented an eco-friendly cooling system featuring water pipes running beneath the floorboards to keep the Athletes' Village comfortable.
“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.
Several countries have equipped their athletes with portable air conditioning units, and the U.S. is among them.
Olympic Athletes Swipe Right At The 2024 Paris Summer Games
It's called the City of Love for a reason!
Some TikTokers suggest that dating app users switch their locations to Paris for a shot at matching with an Olympic athlete during the Games. In fact, Tinder spokesperson Duran Brown revealed to People Magazine that since early July 2024, there has been nearly a 20% spike in swiping activity in France. Additionally, activity on Tinder's Passport Mode—an app feature that lets users "search by city or drop a pin on the map to start liking, matching, and chatting with people in their chosen location"—has surged by 103%.
Plus, a spokesperson at Bumble told People that "in the lead up to the games, we've seen an increase in people changing their Bumble profile location to Paris and adding mentions of the Paris Games in their bios."
This comes after speculation that the cardboard beds in the Olympic Village were intended to prevent sexual activity. However, officials have since dismissed these rumors.
Controversial Cardboard Beds Take Social Media World By Storm
The beds that Olympians are sleeping in at this year's games are constructed from durable cardboard and aimed at being eco-friendly.
In a now-viral video, TikTok user Dana Joelle asked Olympians to weigh in on the cardboard beds. "Does Lebron stay in one of those beds? Like Kevin Durant, can you even fit in those beds?" she asked.
After the clip went viral, several Olympic athletes shared their thoughts on the Villages, including Simone Biles, who candidly said that the beds "suck."
"BUT we are getting mattress toppers, so hopefully it’ll get better," she added with a finger's crossed emoji.
Coco Gauff also chimed in. "Some teams do stay in hotels, but your own kind of federation in your sport will have to pay for that (I think)," she said. "Some of my teammates are in a hotel. I chose to stay in the Village for the experience."
The Olympic Village Beds Are 'Rock Solid'
Australian athlete Tilly Kearns described the mattress as "actually rock solid," even on the supposedly softer side. By Tuesday, she updated everyone that her team manager had organized mattress toppers and extra pillows for the entire Australian squad.
Irish rugby players Jordan Conroy and Harry McNulty decided to demonstrate the durability of the cardboard beds in an Instagram video. McNulty began by joking that the beds might collapse if used by more than one person. Conroy then dove onto the bed before falling off.
