Following the discovery of a gold medalist resting by a park seat, the Olympic Village is under fire.

You’d think that living in accommodations expressly created to house the world’s greatest Olympians would be something all of the athletes were looking forward to.

Instead, gold medalist Thomas Ceccon spoke harshly about the village’s living circumstances.

After winning two golds this week, Ceccon grumbled about his surroundings.

Calling it “subpar,” the Italian swimmer must have concluded that sleeping outside was far superior to a location with a cardboard bed and a brief nap on the ground.

A picture of him shows a white towel stretched out on the grass under a tree and close to a bench, with the swimmer curled up asleep.

Husein Alireza, a Saudi rower, caught Ceccom asleep and posted it on his Instagram account, describing the location as the Olympic Village grounds.

The 23-year-old has been open about his feelings since his loss in the 200-meter backstroke final on Wednesday, July 31.
He told reporters, “There is no air conditioning in the village; it’s hot, and the food is bad.”

“Many athletes migrate for this reason: it’s not an alibi or an excuse; it’s the reality of what some people may not know.

“I’m upset I didn’t make it to the finals, but I was too exhausted. It’s difficult 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.”

Even the Italian swimming organization, FIN, had to emphasize that Ceccon’s previous statements about the Olympic Village have nothing to do with the video of him sleeping.

They informed news agency ANSA that ‘it was simply a snooze’ and that the video was shot during the day.

Ceccon isn’t the first athlete who has complained about the Olympic Village’s conditions.

Team USA Coco Gauff said that one of her female tennis teammates left the community because the lodgings were ‘too crowded.’

French swimmer Assia Touati recently stated, “We had no AC in the bedroom, but they installed it anyway because it was getting too hot.”
Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns added that she “already got a massage to reverse the harm” from sleeping on the mattress at the Olympic Village.

So, perhaps the grassy park isn’t such an awful choice after all?