To the editor: It makes me laugh to think of Paris or any other city trying to organize a “green” Olympic Games (“No air conditioning for Olympic athletes in Paris? Good intentions, but bad idea”, editorial, July 27)
The very idea of transporting more than 10,000 athletes — not to mention coaches, staff, officials, dignitaries and fans — thousands of miles (mostly on carbon-emitting jet planes) to Paris for an Olympic Games is antithetical to efforts to combat climate change.
But could we humans live without the Olympics every two years? No way! It's sacrilege!
In the end, when there are no humans, there will be no Olympic Games.
Andrew Tilles, City Studio
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To the editor: In its article lamenting the lack of air conditioning for athletes, the Times editorial board cites a report showing that the annual temperature in Paris has risen more than 3 degrees since it last hosted the Olympics in 1924.
In 1924 there was no air conditioning for Olympic athletes and they certainly did the best they could back then. Couldn't they do the same today without air conditioning?
Many of today's athletes, especially those from rich countries, already have all kinds of extra advantages. Perhaps it's simply because these countries, including the United States, keep wanting and getting more, more, more.
For my part, I congratulate France for its efforts to make these the greenest games in history and I agree with the statement made by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo: “I have a lot of respect for the comfort of the athletes, but I think much more about the survival of humanity.”
And it could also help level the playing field.
Peter O'Neil, Burbank
