Complaints about the conditions in which athletes in Paris 2024 live in the Olympic village have been numerous in the first week of the games. But now, a gold medal winner has found a unique way to protest.
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The protagonist of this story is Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon, who won the 100-meter backstroke final at the Olympic Games on Monday.
Ceccon, the record holder in the event since 2022, claimed his first Olympic title with a time of 52.00 seconds, ahead of China’s Jiayu Xu (52.32) and American veteran Ryan Murphy (52.39).
Thomas Ceccon
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However, even winning the gold medal did not leave Ceccon with the desire to protest, and he did so after failing to advance to the final of another event, the 200-meter backstroke.
“There is no air conditioning, it is hot, the food is bad. Many athletes move for this reason: it is not an alibi or an excuse, it is the reality of what perhaps not everyone knows. I am disappointed not to have made it to the final, but I was too tired,” he said.
Ceccon went much further. On Saturday, in the heat of Paris, Ceccon preferred to leave the Olympic village and go out to a park to sleep in the open air, trying to find the rest that he had not been able to get in the official accommodation.
Food has also been a source of complaint for many athletes. American gymnast and multiple medalist Simone Biles joked about it.
Biles has 8 Olympic medals so far.
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“I don’t think they’ll serve us French food in the Village like they do outside. For athletes it’s a bit more… healthy,” he said, adding: “The pizzas are good.”
Biles’ teammate, Hezly Rivera, who is just 16, was much more critical. “I don’t think it’s very good, at least not what they serve us in the restaurant. I think French cuisine is good but what they serve us there I don’t think is the best. In any case, it’s enough,” she said.
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With AFP
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