By Hiroki Noda,
Parent athletes have access for the first time to an Olympic village nursery, which does not provide childcare but offers a space for Olympians and Paralympians to spend quality time with their children.
The nursery was set up in the athletes' village in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, after France's Clarisse Agbegnenou, the reigning Olympic judo champion in the women's 63-kilogram division, made a personal appeal to French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year about bringing her daughter to the games.
The nursery is designed for children of diaper-wearing age and provides private space for breastfeeding.
The International Olympic Committee said in March that it is important for parent athletes to find a balance between preparing for their big moment and caring for their children.
"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," said Emma Terho, chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission.
The nursery can be booked online for a private or shared time slot between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
"Pregnancy and motherhood are a natural path in life, and it doesn't have to mean a career end for female athletes," added Terho, a former captain of the Finnish women's ice hockey team.
"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."
The 1900 Paris Olympics opened the door to female competitors after only men took part in the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens.
The French capital is now set for another historic milestone as the first Olympics to achieve full gender parity, with equal numbers of male and female athletes.
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