Assessing Environmental Health and Hygiene: A Study of Public Restroom Conditions at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics

Eun-ra  Cho; Kyoung-lee  Kim

doi:10.18502/ijph.v54i4.18418

Eun-ra Cho Institute of French Culture and Regional Studies, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Kyoung-lee Kim Asia Contents Institute, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v54i4.18418

Keywords: Environmental health; Urban public hygiene; Toilet sanitation; Olympics; France; Japan

Abstract

Background: We explored the perceptions, value, and social visibility of public toilets by comparing the implementation of public restrooms at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. We specifically examined how sociocultural factors influenced restroom policies and development.

Methods: We conducted a survey of the history of public toilets as a form of public hygiene management in Japan and France during the Olympics. The analyses compare Paris’s eco-friendly and Tokyo’s culture-oriented approaches.

Results: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics demonstrated how public restrooms can promote cleanliness and hygiene. However, the 2024 Paris Olympics adopted a practical, eco-friendly approach in response to the climate crisis. Thus, the public restrooms in both cities provided novel examples of public health policies, integrating scientific and cultural perspectives.

Conclusion: Although Tokyo successfully implemented its sanitation culture in its public restrooms, challenges related to sustainability remained. In Paris, the perceptions of public restrooms have not yet been fully addressed. Nevertheless, the innovative approaches of both cities are expected to yield constructive outcomes for the 2028 Games, demonstrating the future value of such policies.