Olympic gold medallist spotted sleeping in park following complaints about 'subpar' standards at athletes' village
An Olympic gold medallist has been spotted sleeping on the floor next to a park bench after complaining about the living conditions at the official athletes' village.
The Olympic Village hosts thousands of athletes as they prepare to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And there's plenty for athletes to do while they're there, from getting free Costa Coffee to enjoying the games room and tiki bars.
But one Italian swimmer, who recently won gold in Paris, found himself feeling forced to take a nap in a village park.
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Speaking about his accommodation, he said 'it's hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon' at the athletes' accommodation'.
The athlete in question is Thomas Ceccon, who won gold in the men's 100m backstroke this week.
For the 24-year-old, who also won bronze in the men's 4 × 100m freestyle relay, the conditions just aren't up to scratch.
He said: "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.
"Usually, when I'm at home, I always sleep in the afternoon: here I really struggle between the heat and the noise."
Saudi rower Husein Alireza spotted Ceccon taking the nap outside and posted it to his Instagram account, tagging the spot as a location within the official Olympic Village.
The 'anti-sex' beds at the Paris Olympics have been a talking point, with the controversial furniture complained about by numerous athletes. Olympic and Paralympic village director, Laurent Michaud, had said he hoped athletes will be 'very enthusiastic and comfortable' about the beds in Paris.
Australia's water polo star Tilly Kearns showed off the aftermath of the first night on the cardboard contraptions.
In a video captioned 'already had a massage to undo the damage', Tilly says: "This is how night one went on the cardboard beds."
Tilly's roommate and teammate, Gabi Palm, then adds: "My back is about to fall off."
"It's actually rock solid," Tilly then says. "You can actually flip them over apparently and there's a softer side but ours was the softer side."
The Italian swimming federation FIN has now been forced to clarify that the image of Ceccon asleep is unrelated to his earlier comments about the Olympic Village.
A spokesperson told news agency ANSA 'it was just a nap', also highlighting that the clip was filmed in the daytime.
The Italian Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee have both been contacted by LADbible for comment.
Topics: Health, Olympics, Sport, Viral, Weird, World News, Social Media
Tom Earnshaw