Gold medalist Thomas Ceccon was seen taking a rest in a park in Paris after expressing dissatisfaction with the conditions at the Olympic village.
The Italian swimmer secured gold in the men’s 100m backstroke this week, despite stating that ‘it’s challenging to sleep both at night and during the day’ at the athletes’ accommodations, which have reportedly not met expectations this year.
‘There is no air conditioning in the village, it’s hot, and the food is not great,’ he remarked. ‘Many athletes are leaving for this reason: it’s not an excuse, it’s the reality that not everyone might be aware of.’
‘At home, I usually take afternoon naps, but here, I really struggle with both the heat and the noise.’
A viral image on social media shows Ceccon resorting to unusual methods to catch some sleep.
Fellow athlete Husein Alireza from Saudi Arabia shared a photo of Ceccon napping on a towel in a park on Instagram, tagging the Olympic Village area as the location of the Italian’s snooze.
It remains uncertain whether the photo was captured before or after Ceccon and the Italian team were knocked out of the men’s 4x100m medley heats.
The 23-year-old swimmer has also been joined by Coco Gauff, Ariarne Titmus, and Assia Touati in voicing concerns about the living conditions provided by the Paris organizers.
Thomas Ceccon was spotted sleeping in a park instead of inside the Olympic village
Ceccon has complained of the appalling conditions on offer for athletes in Paris
Following her successful defense of the Olympic gold medal in the 400m freestyle, Australian swimmer Titmus noted that she might have broken the world record if her accommodations had been better.
‘I probably didn’t achieve the time I believed I was capable of, but staying in the Olympic Village makes it difficult to perform,’ she confessed in an interview following her race.
‘It certainly isn’t designed for high performance, so it’s about who can truly maintain their mental strength.’
The beds in the Olympic Village have sparked controversy due to their discomfort and perceived ‘wokeness.’
The single beds, manufactured by Airwave, utilize cardboard frames as part of the organizers’ sustainability initiatives.
The ‘anti-sex’ cardboard beds have been met with disapproval from Australian water polo athlete Tilly Kearns, who along with teammate Gabi Palm remarked that ‘my back is about to fall off’ after their first night.
Tennis player Daria Saville also expressed that the village is nothing like the experience of staying in a hotel in a recent social media post.
Athletes have been provided cardboard beds during their two-week stay in France
‘There’s no hotel-like housekeeping in the Olympic Village, so you have to get your own toilet paper,’ she noted alongside a video of herself collecting several rolls.
This follows a critique from retired Olympic swimmer James Magnussen, who argued that the eco-conscious approach is hampering athletes’ chances of achieving world records.
Magnussen, who earned gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, and was also a world champion in 100m freestyle in 2011 and 2013 before retiring from competitive swimming in 2019, believes that the Olympic Games have adopted an eco-friendly, vegan-centered mindset that is detrimental to performance.
‘Numerous factors contribute to making village life far from ideal,’ the two-time Olympian wrote in his News Corp column.
Italian star Ceccon won gold in the backstroke despite living in the athletes village
‘It’s the cardboard beds that prevent optimal sleep.’
‘It’s the lack of air conditioning, which will have a greater impact as the week progresses. It was 20 degrees and raining yesterday, but it’s expected to reach the mid-30s in the coming days.’
‘This will definitely affect things, and the Australian team having their own portable air conditioners will be a relief.’
Magnussen asserts that the environment designed for athletes could be the most challenging ever for achieving world records.
‘The absence of world records can be attributed to the entire eco-friendly, carbon footprint, and vegan-first mentality over high performance,’ he concluded.
