Balancing between family and dreams is hard on parents, often mothers around the world. In a historic step, a child-care nursery has come up at the Paris Olympics Village, enabling the athletes to rear and spend time with their children during their training. Female athletes have been competing at the mega sports event since 1900. This is the first time in history that such a facility has been arranged at the Olympic Games. By the accounts of many athletes, they had to make a difficult choice between family and their Olympic dream. Some female athletes complained that a small, dark, and windowless room with a few chairs was designated for breastfeeding mothers.
The concept of the Village Nursery was the brainchild of eleven-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix, who was part of the IOC Athelets’ Commission for the Paris Games. One of the most decorated track and field athletes in history, Felix competed at the Tokyo Olympics and won a gold and a bronze medal.
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The 38-year-old is a mother of two children. She endured a life-threatening pregnancy complication ahead of the birth of her daughter Camryn in 2018. It led to the baby being born prematurely. Thus, it was, no doubt, a challenging task for her to take care of the little girl and focus on her events during the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I had the experience of coming back to competition with my daughter, and it was really challenging. You’re so far from home, and it’s really difficult to bring your family,” Felix told NBC Olympics. She further claimed that the nursery in Paris would provide the babies with a space where they could enjoy “some of the comforts of home.”
About the initiative, IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho said, “Many athletes are balancing their sporting careers and family. “I know how this feels as I competed at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games as a mother with a young child. Pregnancy and motherhood are a natural path in life, and it doesn’t have to mean a career end for female athletes,” as quoted by NBC.
Naturally, the decision has been welcomed by veteran athletes throughout the world. Five-time gold medalist Laura Kenny’s son was just three years old when she featured at the Tokyo Olympics. The British cyclist has also shown a thumbs-up to the idea of setting up the baby-care nursery at the Olympic Village.
“For athletes who are also juggling their role as parents, connecting with their babies in an accessible space like the nursery will be an amazing resource,” Kenny explained ahead of the Paris Games, as per Olympics.com.
The nursery at the Paris Village features a play area where the athletes can spend their leisure with their children. All kinds of baby-care products such as nappies and wipes are available there. The nursery has been built in the non-residential area at the Village Plaza and remained open daily from 9 AM to 9 PM local time.
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