The Olympic Village in Paris is a place for all Athletes to come and live in for the duration of the Summer Olympics. And while the International Olympic Committee always claims to have made sure that all athletes will have a good experience during their stay, there are always many many complaints about the discomfort or lack of resources present.
Recently, an Olympic Gold medallist, the Italian swimmer, Thomas Ceccon, who won Gold for Italy in Men’s 100m Backstroke, and Bronze in men’s 4x100m freestyle, recently criticized the living conditions at the Olympic Village in Paris. His revelations came after Ceccon failed to qualify for the men’s 200m Backstroke Final on Wednesday.
Quite worrying that lack of rest and proper sleep can harm an athlete’s performance to this level, that the Gold winner in the 100m event can’t even qualify for the 200m Finals. Earlier, Ceccon was caught sleeping in a nearby park by Saudi Arabian rower Husein Alireza who shared a clip of the Italian dozing off.
Talking about the horrible conditions, Ceccon stated to The Mirror, “There is no air conditioning in the village, it’s hot, the food is bad,” Ceccon complained. “Many athletes move for this reason: it’s not an alibi or excuse, it’s the reality of what perhaps not everyone knows. I’m disappointed that I didn’t make the final but I was too tired. It’s hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon. Usually, when I’m at home, I always sleep in the afternoon: here I really struggle between the heat and the noise.”
Other complaints about the Olympic Village ring around the Summer Games
Australian Swimmer Ariane Titmus also criticised the Olympic Village’s living conditions after winning gold in women’s 400m Freestyle. According to her, the living conditions weren’t quite “high performance” and it was about who could cope better.
Romanian paddler Bernadette Szocs stated to the Guardian that there was only a single fan in the room which wasn’t enough and athletes would keep their rooms open at night for air circulation. Moreover, she also stressed the fact that the rooms are quite small and are still supposed to fit in two people.
Cardboard Beds, Tasteless Food and the Olympic Sex Fest
This year, the Olympic Village has been provided with cardboard beds, which can accommodate two people at the most. While the thought behind it is quite noble the design isn’t noble at all. For many athletes, hard cardboard beds are not something their body is used to. As Simone Biles, the renowned American Gymnast posted on TikTok, “The bed sucks.”
While the beds are something that is a debatable service, with some athletes liking it while others hating it, the food service is more evenly hated amongst all Athletes. With food, the Quality and Quantity both, are a big issue. Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper, who won Bronze in Diving recently stated, “The food has been a little more questionable – the quantity has been a bit lacking. I feel with food, you either need texture or taste and if there’s neither, it’s a bit more of a problem.”
Indian Athletes from various disciplines have previously voiced their opinions about the food at the Athlete villages too. There were a few Indian shooters who have publicly spoken about it.
Apart from food and sleep, apparently, one more natural process is quite overdone by athletes during their stay at the Olympics. And that is having sex. And to ensure that there are no ‘mistakes’ made, the Olympic Village has been provided with over 300,000 condoms for the athletes to use. There is a case to be made, that the Cardboard beds are not the only thing making it difficult for athletes to sleep.
Nevertheless, an establishment that was structured and built with around a staggering 2 Million dollars needs to be at least much better in providing athletes with the best possible environment to rest and recover. And that’s something the International Olympic Committee has failed to do at the Paris Summer Games.
