Off The Record
The Reasons Why Olympic Athletes Are Leaving The Village In Paris And Photos Of Their Rooms
- Thomas Ceccon went viral for doing something quite unexpected at the Paris Olympics.
- The Italian swimmer, also liked for his looks, once complained about the Olympic Village.
- Ceccon isn’t the only Olympic athlete who revealed that the village’s living conditions weren’t ideal.
Readers, viewers, and netizens have all expressed differing opinions regarding Olympic athletes’ grievances over the Olympic Village.
By choosing to take a nap outside, one athlete seemed to take the situation too far. The Paris Games drew complaints about food, comfort, and other issues.
Sleeping Outside
Since the contentious opening ceremony, things at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have not been going smoothly. One of the game players decided not to stay overnight at the Olympic Village in early August 2024. Thomas Ceccon of Italy went viral after Husein Alireza of Saudi Arabia recorded him dozing off outside.
The rower noticed the swimmer, who had his rucksack close by, lying down on a blanket next to a park bench and took a video of him. With the hashtag “Olympic Village grounds,” the Saudi athlete identified the area on Instagram and wrote, “Rest today, conquer tomorrow.”
The 23-year-old’s picture may have been taken before or after he and his teammates were disqualified from the men’s 4×100-meter medley final. Here are some details regarding Ceccon.
What We Know about Ceccon
Ceccon competed at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 for the first time. There, he took home two silver medals in the 200-meter individual medley in the 50-meter freestyle competition for men. In the 100-meter backstroke and 4×100-meter freestyle relays, he also took home a bronze.
Ceccon competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the first time in official Olympic history in 2021. His contribution to Italy’s silver medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay was crucial. In addition, the athlete won a bronze in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay.
The 2001-born swimmer finished fourth in the 100-meter backstroke, almost missing out on another medal. He competed in the Budapest World Championships in 2022. He broke the world record there and won gold in the 100-meter backstroke relay.
He finished fifth in the 50-meter butterfly, fourth in the 50-meter back relay, and fourth in the 400-meter freestyle relay with a 47.5-meter leg. He performed exceptionally well at the 2022 European Championships, winning six gold. Two golds in the 50-meter fly and 100-meter back were among them.
In Paris, Ceccon won gold in the men’s 100-meter backstroke and bronze in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Sadly, he was unable to advance to the men’s 200-meter backstroke final. Even though the athlete had amazing swimming abilities, some viewers picked up on something else.
Taking to X, one person wrote, “Thomas Ceccon, not Cecco. He’s the Italian Olympic champion of the 100m backstroke. Very handsome but also very funny, a crazy guy.” Responding to a photo of the swimmer, another person also focused on his looks, writing in Portuguese, “Beautiful swimmer! Face looks like a sculpture painting or those Italian frescoes.”
Retweeting a video of Ceccon, someone else wrote that he is “One of the most beautiful Italian images ever. Thomas Ceccon’s barely concealed emotion with the national anthem and the freshly won Olympic gold. Pure emotion.”
A fourth person also noticed how good-looking the athlete is and said, “Thomas Ceccon, what a beautiful man!” Before being recorded while sleeping outside, the Italian swimmer voiced his issues about the village.
Ceccon’s Complaints about the Village
The Italian Swimming Federation (FIN) voiced their concerns after seeing footage of Ceccon dozing off on the ground outside. They disputed that the living conditions in the village were the reason behind the athlete’s relocation. FIN claimed, “It was just a nap,” citing how the footage got taken during the day.
In the past, Ceccon voiced his dissatisfaction with the hamlet, claiming that the food and transportation weren’t very good. The swimmer also bemoaned the village’s heat and loudness. He told me he was “too tired” from being without air conditioning and that it was hard to sleep in the hamlet in the afternoon and at night.
The celebrity claimed that although he naps in the afternoons at home, he was unable to do so during the Olympics. Even worse, the athlete said that one of the reasons participants departed the hamlet was because of the “bad” food. Not just Olympic athlete Ceccon fled the village.
Why Some Athletes Have Moved Out of the Olympic Village
Media coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics disclosed that athletes were departing from the Olympic Village on July 31, 2024. Numerous athletes grew weary of the subpar amenities in the village. Rather than staying in Olympic Village, athletes were moving on to opulent hotels.
Tennis player Emma Navaro of the US complained that the village’s beds were made of cardboard. The mattresses are said to be anti-sex, and Navaro claimed that the small size prevented him from getting a good night’s sleep.
Wide enough for a single person, the mattresses were made by Olympic organizers in an attempt to discourage sexual activity in the village. Manu Bhaker remarked, “Well, I have a very small bed; you tell me will I be able to?” in response to the question of whether she planned to sleep with her medal next to her like cricket players do with their trophies.
The athlete laughed and said she wouldn’t take the chance because she would surely tumble off the bed. The Indian athlete admitted that she definitely would have slept with her gold if she had a larger bed. The goal of the Paris Olympics is to provide the athletes with a zero-waste, green environment, and this includes the beds and village.
To ensure he slept well, US player Fred Richard even scheduled the delivery of a mattress ahead of time for the games. The US Gymnastics team purchased mattress toppers for the other members of the team when Richard moved.
The heated rooms have also produced disturbances, so the problem in the community isn’t just the mattresses. The Olympics were predicted to be the warmest ever held before they started. However, Paris installed geothermal cooling systems in lieu of air conditioning, according to the ecological ethos.
By obtaining portable air conditioners, Team US retaliated. The Olympians had food-related problems as well. Bhaker bemoaned the absence of wholesome meals in the village. The athletes complained that there wasn’t enough protein when they arrived, despite the town having prepared to serve 13 million meals.
Some others expressed their displeasure with the cuisine. Reports of a lack of eggs surfaced, and Paris decided to provide more green food. Before the problem was rectified, athletes left. One athlete reportedly stated that they discovered worms in their diet.
The food that was provided to them in the Olympic Village, according to Adam Peaty of Great Britain, was “just not good enough.” He discovered insects in his food. The 29-year-old competitor, who finished second in the solo 100-meter breaststroke, thought the cuisine in Paris was of lower quality than it had been in earlier Olympics.
The “inadequate” food given early at the Olympics forced his team to send a chef to Paris. Peaty argued that the organizers’ failure came from their push for an environmentally friendly Olympic Games. Sixty percent of meals would be meatless during the Paris Games.
The swimmer claimed he needed meat to function and that he wanted to consume it. He didn’t understand why he had to stop eating meat at home. While Peaty too loved fish, he noted some people discovered worms in it. He declared the cuisine at the Olympics in Rio and Tokyo to be “incredible.”
The athlete said that there weren’t enough protein options during the Paris Games and that there was no system in place, which resulted in enormous lineups where competitors had to wait 30 minutes for food. Ceccon was not the only swimmer from Italy to voice concerns about the state of the hamlet.
Gregorio Paltrinieri said he wasn’t sleeping due to the lack of air conditioning. He described the village as the “worst I have ever experienced,” adding how “athletes are not safeguarded.” A day before the coverage of the village’s issues, Denmark’s Nanna Vigild shared an Instagram video.
In the clip, she walked around the accommodation and gave a different take. She noted how everyone there, including other athletes, the staff, and volunteers, is “so nice.” Vigild also shared how everything, like iced coffee and food, is free.
She said the village is clean, and people like the US’ gold-winning Simone Biles walked around casually, and it felt “unreal.” The athlete described it as the “most wonderful place ever.” Speaking of athletes who are dissatisfied with the village, Coco Gauff is one of them.
US Tennis Player Chooses to Stay at the Olympic Village
In a TikTok video that swiftly gained popularity, American Coco Gauff revealed how unsatisfactory the Olympic Village’s operations were. She claimed that ten athletes may be accommodated in the two bathrooms. The video demonstrated the terrible living conditions in the recently constructed Olympic Village, which cost $1.6 billion.
Olympic athletes have found worms in their food at 2024 Paris Games, UK swimmer reveals https://t.co/L9vbKqAWDl pic.twitter.com/WgaWUcnnyF
— New York Post (@nypost) August 6, 2024
The tennis player stayed in the village while the rest of her teammates left. Gauff disclosed that although her original plan was to relocate with the others, she found herself drawn to “all these amazing athletes” who are lodging in the hamlet.
She reasoned that since legendary Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal could keep still, she could too. Gauff, nevertheless, claimed to comprehend her comrades’ reasons for leaving. The American tennis player’s teammates attempted getting ready in the small area, including hair, cosmetics, and attire, as seen in the video.
She captioned the post, “10 girls, two bathrooms #olympicvillage.” Gauff now has a room to herself, and there are five women with her, whom she described as “very chill.” Additionally, the athlete was fortunate enough to receive a mattress topper on loan from the archery team. Viewers gave mixed reactions to the athletes’ village issues.
Readers and Viewers Share Their Views on the Olympic Village Matter
A few Olympic spectators felt compassion for the athletes and recognized that they needed adequate housing and amenities in order to perform to the best of their abilities. Someone wrote, “The athletes need good facilities, especially a good mattress, in order to be in tip-top condition to perform at their best.”
But some people criticized the athletes, with one person writing, “Holy entitlement!!! Seriously, that’s what they’re complaining about.” The viewer revealed, “While in the military, I shared two bathrooms with 35 other guys and we all managed just fine.”
Someone who also criticized the athletes stated, “Everyone is given the same and treated equally, but obviously some of them feel they are entitled to special treatment.” Showing support for Gauff, they added, “Good for Coco Gauff for sticking it out in her accommodation, and I hope she enjoys the camaraderie and Olympic experience.”
Sharing a slightly different view, a reader wrote, “All athletes should be mandated to stay in the village!” They asked, “How is it fair that professional millionaire US basketball and tennis players, etc., can stay in 5-star hotels while either true amateurs or low-paid athletes stay at the village?”
Someone else revealed what they heard, stating, “I expected the accommodations to not be great! I also read the food in the village isn’t very nice, and a lot of the athletes are hungry!” Another person criticized the organizers for the differing experiences that amateur and professional athletes went through.
The complaint went something like this: “The Olympics were so much better when it was all amateur competition.” Another person said, “Some of these athletes are clearly spoilt and feel entitled rather than accept graciously the hospitality provided.”
@cocogauff #olympics #olympicvillage ♬ female rage – bel6va
They continued, “It is not just about the size of your room or bathrooms; it’s about being part of the Olympic team.” Adding the financial aspect to the mix, a reader said, “What is more shocking is that these are professional tennis players earning hundreds of thousands of pounds or dollars. It should not be included as an Olympic sport.”
A disgruntled person shared, “I lost interest in the Olympics when they let professional paid athletes compete. Now it’s even worse—it has become a woke commercial. No thanks.”
Someone said, “The organizers must have spent a fortune for the Opening Ceremony on global celebrities visiting, including the superstar singers performing,” feeling that resources weren’t allocated appropriately.
Another individual stated, “The real stars should have been the sportspeople who came here to compete, but unfortunately, they are treated just as peasants and even given cardboard boxes disguised as beds to sleep.” “I guess nothing’s new under the French sun,” they exclaimed.
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