The Most Surprising Rules You Didn't Know Athletes Must Follow in the Olympic Village

Olympic athletes must play by the rules both in and out of competition.

The iconic Olympic Village returns to Paris a century after the first athlete accommodations were built for the 1924 Summer Games — but understandably, many changes have been made to the housing since the small wooden huts were originally constructed.

When competing against the best in the world and living in the same quarters, it comes as no surprise that rules and guidelines are enforced to ensure the safety and well being of each country's competitors.

Team USA's Olympic Village Director Daniel Smith spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about the dos and don'ts athletes must abide by in their temporary home away from home located in St. Denis, just north of Central Paris and right on the Seine River (with a view of the Eiffel Tower, of course!).

It is important to know, though, that every delegation has its own set of guidelines in place. "There are other countries who have different rules," Smith tells PEOPLE. "Every delegation manages it differently," he explains.

The same goes for who is allowed to enter the Olympic Village. While athletes are allowed to mix and mingle with other countries, there are strict policies regarding non-athlete entries on the grounds.

When creating these rules, Smith says the Team USA Olympic Committee has a "primary goal" in mind for their athletes. "We call them Village briefings," he notes of the meetings when they discuss "expectations" of Team USA.

"So really our primary goal is to create a healthy and safe environment focused on high performance — and us, as staff, our primary function is to make it as distraction-free as possible," Smith adds.

Read on to learn about the rules Team USA athletes must follow in the Olympic Village.

Athletes aren't allowed entry to the Olympic Village until July 18

The Olympic Village officially opened on Tuesday, July 18. That means all qualifying athletes are now allowed to move into their country's residences. However, they do not have to move in on that exact day.

Athletes must reside with their country's team

Athletes must reside with the team they're representing, so Team USA must live with Team USA. "We can't share an apartment with another country," Smith makes clear.

"There are different residential zones in the Olympic Village," he explains. "They call them legacy. These are built and they will be given to the community or sold in the community after the games, so they are apartment buildings that eventually will be individual towers."

For the Olympics set up, Smith says the residence halls resemble "clusters of buildings." The amount of housing a country is allotted depends on the "size of the delegation," he explains, noting that Team USA has four buildings for its delegation of 593 athletes.

"We are in the Bastille cluster. We have 90% of this cluster. It's technically four buildings," he breaks down, clarifying they don't have the top floor of one of the buildings. "Two of them are 11 stories high, and the other two are eight stories high. It's just under 600 individual sleeping rooms... Every building has a completely different configuration."

Family and friends aren't allowed in the Olympic Village

While every delegation manages entry into the Olympic Village differently, Smith makes clear that Team USA only allows athletes and select staff into its quarters. "Based on your team size, you're allotted a certain amount of accreditations," he explains of the access pass equivalents.

Typically, Smith says the accreditations are distributed to "team leaders, staff, medical personnel and sometimes security." He adds, "They want all their coaches in, but we don't have the space for them."

That means, family and friends of the athletes' aren't allowed entry into the Olympic Village. Smith explains the reasoning behind that decision: "Our primary goal is to create a healthy and safe environment focused on high performance," he says. "Our primary function is to make it as distraction-free as possible."

If athletes do want to connect with their family and friends, though, they are allowed to — just not in the Olympic Village. "Athletes can leave the Village and go out to meet with their families out in the city of Paris, but families are not allowed to come into the village," he clarifies.

Nursing athletes are allowed to bring their infants into the Olympic Village

There is "one exception" to the family and friends access limitation in the Olympic Village, Smith notes. That is, athletes who are nursing mothers are allowed to bring their infants into the Village Nursery.

"There's a specific nursery that's run by P&G and they have a specific allotted time where they can go in and breastfeed," he explains of the accommodation that's being introduced for the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history.

Pampers will offer access to "high-quality diapers and wipes" while providing an environment for playtime and family bonding, per the official Olympics website.

"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," IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho said in a statement.

Athlete security can enter the Olympic Village at certain times

With the amount of high-profile athletes that are residing in the Olympic Village, it's understandable why many would want the extra support from their personal security guards.

Since the accreditations policy is so limited, Smith says security is allowed entry "at specific times." He listed the Olympic Opening Night Ceremony as one example.

Of the athletes who "come with their own private security," Smith notes Team USA men's basketball players. "They'll go to the dining hall with their security," he notes.

Smith makes clear: "Their security is not living in, but they'll come in for specific moments."

It's important to note that the Olympic Village prioritizes safety, with firearms and other weapons being prohibited. "There's a very large security perimeter around the Village," Smith says. "Entering the Village is almost like going through airport security!"

Each sports team decides an athlete's roommate

When it comes to roommates in the Olympic Village, Smith says "the sports make that decision." The number of people in a room depends on the size of the team.

Smith gives an example: "They have 16 athletes on a field hockey team. So we'll say, 'Okay, you have four apartments. Each apartment has X number of beds. It's two people to a room.'"

Then, Smith says the team will "decide who they want rooming with who" once their allocation has been given. "We'll tell them how many beds they have, how many apartments and how many rooms in each apartment," he explains.

"The team leader will come back and say, 'Okay, here's our rooming list. These are who we're going to have room with who,'" he says. "Every sport will make that decision on their own, it's not us as Team USA who decides for the specific sport."

Athletes who are minors must room with minors

Not all athletes who qualified for the Olympics are of legal age, including Team USA's 16-year-old gymnastics phenom Hezly Rivera and 17-year-old swim star Alex Shackell.

"There is a chaperone accreditation that is provided," says Smith. "So if a team leader sees it fit that they want a parent to be in the Village with their minor, it is possible — but again, it is a bed that they could allocate to a coach... So it really depends on how they want to manage it," he explains.

Smith says the USOPC has "very strict guidelines" in place regarding who underage athletes are allowed to room with, noting they "really try to keep minors in rooms with minors." He adds, "So we don't mix folks that are under 18 with folks that are over 18, except for very specific circumstances."

Even under those specific circumstances, Smith says "a lot of check boxes need to be checked before we allow those one-offs to happen." For example, he notes, "There has to be a parent permission involved, team leader permission involved, NGB permission involved."

Athletes are allowed to customize their mattresses

During the 2020 Tokyo Games, the infamous cardboard beds in the Olympic Village made headlines and they're returning again for the 2024 Summer Olympics, with Smith admitting "these beds are hard as rock."

"They're so stiff," he adds. "They are literally cardboard that are pieced together. They're like three pieces of cardboard... they come apart in different sections. A lot of ours have bed extensions on them that are also cardboard."

As for the mattresses? Smith says they're "pretty stiff" too. However, athletes — who presumably need the best sleep ahead of the biggest competition of their lives — can customize their mattresses to fit their personal preferences!

"There's a space here in the Paris 2024 Village where they give you education on the mattresses — so based on your sleep type, they can show you how to flip the mattress," Smith explains. "Each side has a different comfort level based on your preference of firmness and so they'll educate you on how you can flip the mattress."

Smith adds, "Based on all these different ways that you can maneuver the mattress, you can make it more firm or less firm!" In addition, he says one of Team USA's policies includes "covering the costs for any mattress toppers" for extra comfort.

There is "one exception" to the cardboard beds, however, and Smith says it's "for our Track and Field throwers." He explains, "USA Track and Field ships in larger beds specifically for them... the athletes, just their size, they're big individuals, so they ship in... just for comfort."

Athletes must abide by Olympic Village quiet hours

To ensure the athletes are getting a good night rest, Smith says Team USA sets quiet hours in its Olympic Village residence halls. Quiet hours are enforced from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. local time.

"This is a distraction-free environment," he stresses. "We want to be very respectful — not only of our athletes, but of other athletes." However, there isn't necessarily a curfew.

"[Athletes] can do as they please. It doesn't mean they have to be in their rooms by 10:00 p.m.," he clarifies. "We just can't have music blaring out of an apartment at 10-11 p.m. just to make sure people are getting their rest and recovery and they're ready to train or compete the following day."

Alcohol is not allowed in Team USA's Olympic Village

Alcohol is not allowed in the Olympic Village for Team USA's delegation, specifically. "It is a dry Village for Team USA," Smith makes clear.

"There's no alcohol permitted in our buildings, pre-competition, during competition or once competition has finished," he explains. "And that's where it gets a little tricky," he says of the ruling once athletes are done competing.

Smith cited the Team USA rugby team for example, noting that tournaments begin on July 24 and run through July 30. After that, "they still have another 12 days in the Village," he says, noting that they may want to "go have fun" and celebrate now that they're done competing.

"So we have to set some specific guidelines so that there's just a general level of respect across the board," Smith adds. "Everyone is in competition mode until the games finish on Aug. 12. So that is why we put those parameters in place."

While the ruling may sound like freshman year of college, there are no RA-equivalents necessarily enforcing the ban. "We're not going through apartments and checking," Smith says. "It would have to be very blatant for us to really get involved."

He adds, "At the end of the day, a lot of these folks are adults. The majority of them are adults, and they'll make their decisions. But within this space, we have to be very high performance focused."

Athletes are allowed to mingle with athletes from other countries in the Olympic Village

Although athletes must reside with the country they're representing, they are allowed to mix and mingle with other teams in the Olympic Village. "That's the coolest thing about this place. The coolest thing about this place is it's this big mix or melange of cultures and ethnicities," Smith says.

"It's a very healthy competition and this Village provides that atmosphere of camaraderie. People are hanging out together," he continues. "And at the same time, we're finding that a lot of athletes from different countries may go to US universities."

Smith adds, "So the athletes know each other from university. They know each other from competition. And so yeah, there's a lot of mix and mingle in the Village."

Athletes are allowed to have sex in the Olympic Village

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics infamously made headlines when a sex ban was placed on the Olympic Village, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic that enforced social distancing. This year, the ban has been lifted and Team USA is doing what they can to promote a healthy environment for its athletes.

In fact, Smith confirmed that around 600,000 condoms have been distributed to the Paris Olympic Village. "And the packaging is quite spectacular!" he says.

"They have some really quirky packaging," he adds. "They are distributed and we hold them in our athlete resource center, which is a space that does it for athletes only — and obviously, they can take as they need."

The condom packaging includes the Paris Games’ mascot — the Olympic Phryge — which is shaped as a soft red conical bonnet or Phrygian cap that is a symbol of freedom. On social media, a few athletes have shared the condoms they've found in their toiletry gift bags as they settle into their bedrooms.

In a TikTok video showing off the Olympics-branded condom packaging, sailor Sarah Douglas from Canada held up blue and pink condom holders emblazoned with messages such as “On the field of love, play fair [and] ask for consent” and ”No need to be a gold medalist to wear it.”

As for whether athletes from different countries are allowed to be intimate with each other, Smith says, "we try to avoid that." He clarifies, "It's not so much for the sex, it's more for security reasons."

Smith says athletes from other countries "can come into a common area," but he says, "we try to keep athletes from other countries out of our residential space... out of our sleeping rooms."

Athletes are allowed access to different resources in the Olympic Village

There's more to the Olympic Village than just the residence halls! "We got it all," Smith says of Team USA's resources, specifically.

"We have a full sports med clinic with 22 providers, massage therapy, cold tubs, the works. We have an athlete resource center, which is an athlete-only space, which is really for them to hang out, decompress, mingle with other athletes. We have big screens on watching competition when competition starts," he lists.

"We have mental health providers in-house. We have sport dietitians in-house who are making smoothies and providing all types of dietary, nutritional supplements to athletes," Smith says.

"For the first time, we have a Team USA-only strength and conditioning space here in the Village," he continues. "When some of the teams finish competition, it's very late at night and so getting up really early in the morning to go to our high performance center may not be so realistic... We've put together a great setup for athletes who need a quick lift early in the morning."

A salon is also provided to Team USA in the Olympic Village! There's also one in the Village's Main Plaza in addition to other shops like a P&G store and a gift store with Paris 2024 memorabilia.

"They have an athlete center with video games and big screens and the works," Smith adds. "It's quite extensive. It's a really dynamic space. The athletes love it!"

Dietary products are allowed to be shipped to the Olympic Village

Curious about how the athletes fuel their bodies for competition? While athletes are allowed to bring their own food into the Olympic Village, there are a plethora of options for them to choose from within the grounds.

"The dining hall has six food stations in it," Smith says. "Everything from world food, Asian food, Latin American food, halal, vegetarian section... There's also a quick grab and go."

In fact, Smith says the grab-and-go spot has a French bakery that includes full coffee bars "with every type of coffee drink you could think of." Plus, there's a station that "teaches [athletes] how to make baguettes!"

Should athletes require specific dietary needs, Smith says "a number of sports ship in food products" to the Village. "There are certain products that sports will decide to ship in terms of dietary products."

Athletes can leave and re-enter the Olympic Village

Athletes who live in the Olympic Village are not required to stay for the duration of the Games. If they choose to exit the premises, they are required to go through the entire security process again.

"All your bags go through scanners... There are metal detectors, there's physical security, there's undercover security, there's everything," Smith says. "So it's a very secure space in the city."

Pets are not allowed in the Olympic Village

Sorry, no pets are allowed in the Olympic Village. "We tried," Smith says. "Unfortunately that was not possible — and it wasn't because of the Paris 2024 regulations, it was more of French governmental regulations around certification of therapy dogs."

"To make it simple, no pets allowed," he makes clear.

Athletes are allowed to ride bikes in the Olympic Village

Whether an athlete wants to conserve their energy or warm up their muscles, there's transportation of all kind offered to them within the Olympic Village.

"They have 600 communal bikes within the Village that you can just grab and go," Smith reveals. "They have electric shuttles all throughout... There are electric vans that can transport people or luggage equipment."

Plus, the Olympic Village has routes throughout its grounds!

"You can pretty much get from one end to the Village to the other in a couple of minutes," he says. "It's a very compact Village. It's beautiful. It's right on the river, so you can run down the river. Great workout area if you're a jogger to go for a run."

Athletes can decorate their country's zone in the Olympic Village

Team spirit and national pride is bursting throughout the Olympic Village. "Connection" is one of Smith's favorite parts about living in the same vicinity as so many people from different countries.

"People decorate their buildings. It's a competition!" he reveals. "Who decks out their buildings the best, who provides the most flair in terms of their space, all the way to the field of play competition."

Smith says "seeing that healthy and hubris competition between countries is always great." He adds, "It's a very healthy and competitive environment from the look and feel."

Athletes do not have to stay in the Olympic Village

While the Olympic Village is offered to all qualifying athletes, it isn't mandatory that they live there for the duration of the Games — or at all!

"Every team gets to choose whether they want to stay in or not," Smith says. The USA Basketball Team "does not stay in the Olympic Village," for example.

If a sport decides not to stay on the grounds, Smith says "they have to find their own arrangements." Opting not to reside in the Village comes with its own set of challenges, however.

"Basically you're outside of the bubble at that point, so Paris 2024 won't provide you transportation from your specific hotel," he explains. "All of the meals, all of those additional pieces that come along with logistics that athletes in the Village get, you stay out, all of that is on you."