Italian Olympic gold medalist Thomas Ceccon was seen taking a nap in a Paris park following his complaints about the living conditions in the Olympic Village, as reported by the Mirror.
Ceccon, who secured gold in the men's 100m backstroke and bronze in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay, expressed his frustration with the accommodation after failing to qualify for the 200m backstroke final on Wednesday.
"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," he lamented.
#BREAKING: ITALIAN SWIMMER THOMAS CECCON CAMPING IN PARK 🌳🏅
Gold medalist Thomas Ceccon opts to sleep in a park due to unbearable heat in the Olympic Village, which lacks AC to promote sustainability.
Is this eco-friendly move too extreme?#Olympics #Paris2024 #M pic.twitter.com/qiDqL9y9jR— GeniusRogueX 🧑🏻🚀 🏴☠️ (@GeniusRogueX) August 4, 2024
The swimmer's impromptu park rest was captured by Saudi Arabian rower Husein Alireza, who shared a clip on social media with the caption: "Rest today, conquer tomorrow."
Ceccon is not alone in his criticism of the Olympic Village. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who won the women's 400m freestyle, also commented on the challenging conditions. "It probably wasn't the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic Village makes it hard to perform," Titmus said. "It's definitely not made for high performance, so it's about who can really keep it together in the mind."
Italian gold medal-winning swimmer Thomas Ceccon sleeping next to park bench. He complained about the lack of A/C and noise inside the athletes village. pic.twitter.com/xQADZ37T4h
— SAINT (@saint) August 4, 2024
Romanian table tennis player Bernadette Szocs echoed these concerns, telling the Guardian, "There is no air conditioning, just this fan, and it is not enough. Somehow, we were lucky that it was not so hot outside, so we didn't need it so much, but it is now hot, and you can feel it is too hot in the room. We are sleeping with the door open in the night. The rooms are small, and we are two persons."
