Paris Olympics 2024: Italian Swimmer Sleeps In A Park As Athletes Bash The Poor Arrangements

Paris Olympics 2024: Italian Swimmer Sleeps In A Park As Athletes Bash The Poor Arrangements
The Paris Olympics kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony on July 26th. Since the start of the 2024 games, social media has been buzzing with clips of the scenic event setups featuring the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. However, 10 days into the proceedings, it seems not everything is as pleasant as it appears in Paris. A photo of Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon napping in a park during the day has gone viral. The gold medal winner along with many athletes has complained about the subpar arrangements at the athletes’ village. Thus, the photo now going viral is being perceived as a testimony to the hardships being endured by athletes at the hands of inadequate preparations at the Paris Olympics.

Paris Olympics 2024: Italian Swimmer Thomas Ceccon Highlights The Poor Arrangements At The Athletes' Village

Thomas Ceccon, an Italian swimmer, won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the 100m backstroke event and a bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. The Italian swimmer, though, missed to qualify for the 200m backstroke final.The swimmer, otherwise, has captivated the netizens by his ‘breathtaking’ looks with his clips from the medal ceremony doing the rounds. Thus, when Ceccon highlighted the depth of the issues being faced by athletes in Paris, people took quick notice. 

Following his ousting from the 200m backstroke event, the 23-year-old unleashed a barrage of complaints about the conditions at the Olympics village. Ceccon expressed that the food offered in the village is ‘bad’ and the absence of comfortable beds and air conditioning has hampered his sleep schedule.

"There is no air conditioning in the village, it's hot, the food is bad. 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," the swimmer expressed. 

Soon after the comments, the photo of Ceccon sleeping in a park took over the internet. The photo shows Ceccon napping on a towel spread over the grass in a shady space within the park. The photo was posted by Saudi rower, Husein Alireza who captioned it, “Rest now, conquer tomorrow.” The photo surfaced at a time when the arrangements at the Olympics village and the IOC have been criticised severely by the participants. Thus, it’s being perceived as showcasing the sleep deprivation that the athletes are enduring at the hands of the organisers. 

What's Going On At The Paris Olympics 2024?

The Paris Olympics is on a mission to become the ‘greenest’ Olympics till now. As a result, the Olympics village has set up ‘cardboard beds’ for the athletes. Moreover, the concept of air conditioning is an alien one at the ongoing games. While a good move for the environment, the setup is proving highly uncomfortable for the athletes. The athletes at the Olympic games feature in multiple events and obviously need rest in between the events as a crucial part of their preparation. Thus, the lack of amenities at the Olympics village is hindering the athletes’ regime.

Apart from Ceccon, many other athletes from various contingents have highlighted the issues at the Olympics village. American Tennis star, Coco Gauff, in a Tiktok informed that all her teammates have shifted into hotels to escape the inefficient arrangements. Moreover, one of the Australian team’s members, Matilda Kearns noted that she “already had a massage to undo the damage” caused by the mattress and the cardboard bed of the athletes village. The South Korean camp also informed that many of the athletes have checked themselves into hotels in order to ensure their timely travel.

Another Australian athlete, swimmer Ariane Titmus, cited similar reasons as Ceccon expressing concerns about the conditions at the athletes’ village. The swimmer voiced the issues faced by athletes in the ongoing edition after winning the 400m freestyle race.

"It probably wasn't the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic Village makes it hard to perform. It's definitely not made for high performance, so it's about who can really keep it together in the mind,” Titmus said.

The Indian sports ministry, in fact, had to intervene to ensure the comfort of the Indian contingent in Paris. The IOA provided the athletes with portable air conditioners to help them cope with the heat in the city. The Indian association consulted with the French embassy and subsequently sent 40 portable air conditioners, funded by the sports ministry, for the Indian athletes in the Olympics village.