The Paris Olympic Village to offer a nursery for parent athletes

This will provide an answer to structural discrimination in sports, especially for young mothers

The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes, who also happen to be parents of babies and toddlers, will not have to leave their kids behind in their home countries or get entirely separated from them for the duration of the major sports event.

For this purpose, the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Village, through an initiative by the IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC), will have a specially designated nursery facility on its grounds.

The nursery will be conveniently located in the non-residential area in the Olympic Village Plaza, and open from 9 am to 9 pm daily for visitors with a guest pass.

How will the nursery be used?

The nursery will act as a safe and comfortable meeting space for parent athletes, their babies or toddlers (nappy/diaper-wearing age) and their caregivers. It will provide a comfortable and calm environment featuring private breastfeeding space, safe play areas and nappy-changing facilities.

It is very helpful for both parents and infants to be able to spend time together, especially at such an important moment in an athlete’s sporting life. This nursery allows that to happen, while also giving athletes the opportunity to focus on the Games,” explained Emma Terho, IOC AC Chair.

The aim of the initiative is to equalize the playing field between male and female athletes and to make it possible for young mothers who also want to pursue Olympic glory in their sports career to not have to miss an opportunity that only presents itself once every four years.

To use the nursery, athletes will need to request a guest pass for their child and their dedicated caregiver from their National Olympic Committees (NOC) well in advance. This will facilitate timely processing and access to the space.