Italian 23-year-old swimming star Thomas Ceccon won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke event at the current Paris Olympics. He was recently found napping in the park of the athletes’ village because he felt that the dormitory environment was too poor for him to fall asleep.
Saudi Arabian rower Husein Alireza captured a photo of Ceccon napping in the park and uploaded it to Instagram. In the image, Ceccon can be seen lying on a towel spread out on the grass near a bench.
As the world record holder in the 100m backstroke, Ceccon suffered a setback in the 200m backstroke competition last week, failing to advance to the finals. He openly complained post-race about the poor conditions in the athletes’ village that made it difficult for him to sleep.
He mentioned, “The athletes’ village lacks air conditioning, it’s hot, and the food is also terrible. Many athletes have left because of this. This is not an excuse or a reason, but it might be a fact that not everyone is aware of.”
Ceccon expressed his disappointment at not making it to the final but said he was simply too tired, finding it difficult to sleep both at night and in the afternoon.
He noted that he usually takes a nap at home but couldn’t sleep here due to the hot weather and noise.
It is unclear whether Ceccon’s public nap in the park occurred before or after his disappointment in the 200m backstroke competition, but he is not the only athlete complaining about the conditions in the athletes’ village.
American tennis sensation Coco Gauff revealed that her teammates moved out of the village because the rooms were “too narrow.” French swimmer Assia Touati mentioned that the rooms initially lacked air conditioning and were unbearably hot until it was installed.
In addition, American gymnastics star Simone Biles previously complained on social media about the poor quality of the cardboard beds. Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns said she needed massages to relieve the pain of sleeping on cardboard beds.
Around 15,000 people, with approximately 10,500 athletes, were accommodated in the athletes’ village during the competition period from July 26 to August 11.
The Paris Olympics athletes’ village did not have air conditioning installed due to its focus on environmental sustainability, as previously reported by Dajiyuan. Instead, cooling was only provided through underground water pipes. To ensure athletes could maintain their optimal condition, representatives from countries and regions such as Taiwan, the USA, and Australia brought their own air conditioning equipment for the athletes.