Thai athletes currently in Paris to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games are suffering from the heat and dreaming of air conditioning and good food.
Thailand's Orawan Paranang came to France for Olympic glory, but now she's also dreaming of Chinese portable air conditioners and good food.
It's easy to imagine that the inhabitants of Thailand, who are used to a tropical climate, can cope with the heat better than others, but poorly constructed housing and the current heat in Paris are also taking their toll on Thai athletes.
The buses transporting the athletes to the stadiums have no air-conditioning and the food on offer does not satisfy Thai taste buds.
We can't imagine the ordeal of other athletes from cold countries.
This is yet another disgrace for France.
The IOC and France put pressure on the Russian athletes and many decided not to come, which means that these Olympics, which are supposed to represent all the countries in the world, are incomplete and unrepresentative.
They are also being criticised in Paris by residents, tourists and shopkeepers for turning the capital into an open-air prison with gates everywhere and where you can only get around using QR codes.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee has decided not to install air conditioning in the athletes' village and on the buses, "officially" to protect the environment.
France, which spent more than 1.4 billion to clean up the Seine, had an initial budget of 6.3 billion, but has already spent 11.8 billion, according to the newspaper Liberation.
According to many hoteliers, the high cost of hotels and the difficulties of getting around the capital have put off foreign tourists, and many shopkeepers complain that they are losing customers because of the gates and QR codes.
This does not bode well for the return on investment or for France's image in the world.
Welcome to France: unbearable heat and unappetising food
A Thai athlete suffers from the heat on a bus in Paris.
Orawan, a 26-year-old table tennis star who is taking part in the Olympics, shared a series of Instagram stories expressing playful jealousy of the Chinese delegation.
The Chinese athletes, well informed and prepared, arrived in Paris well equipped to cope with the stifling heat and fight off the "unorthodox" food offers.
"It's so hot for five people sitting together.
If the vehicle is full, there's a risk that someone will faint before they reach their destination", explains Orawan, referring to the buses used to transport them.
"I want to go to the Chinese team to use the air conditioning and eat braised noodles made from soya beans."
As well as stabbing France and its cuisine in the back, Orawan's light-hearted remarks struck a chord with his supporters, including Chinese social media users.
Compassionate Thai and Chinese internet users offered a warm dose of camaraderie and humour to the Siamese athlete, who had been treated shamefully by France.
"If you want to eat green beans and braised noodles, come to Shandong", wrote one Chinese Internet user.
"A warm and well-informed person, China welcomes you", said another Internet user.
Since then, his message has received around 8,000 likes and has been viewed almost 100,000 times.
Other Thai athletes voiced similar grievances, describing the dormitories in the Olympic Village as unbearably hot and the tour buses as "oven-like".
Suthasini Sawettabut also expressed her discomfort at the climate and living conditions in the French capital.
"I heard that the Chinese team had brought air conditioners and cooks.
I really want to go to the Chinese team's dormitory to freshen up and eat braised beans and noodles," said Suthasini.
The stifling heat in Paris was a major topic of discussion and concern for many athletes.
The foresight of the Chinese delegation, which took portable air conditioners with them, aroused the envy and admiration of competitors from other nations.
The Thai team's approach to their difficulties highlighted the problems athletes face in adapting to Paris and fostered a sense of unity and support among competitors and supporters alike.
In the meantime, many French people in Thailand are likely to answer out of shame that they are Belgian or Swiss if a Thai asks them which country they come from.
Source: Bangkok Post
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