GOLD MEDAL swimmer Thomas Ceccon had to go to extreme lengths to get some sleep – after he was spotted napping in a Paris park.
Ceccon hit the headlines this week after moaning about conditions of the Olympic Village – despite picking up two medals at Paris 2024.
Just days ago he was also dubbed the “world’s sexiest swimmer” after flashing his abs on the podium as Italy claimed bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
But Ceccon joined a growing list of athletes complaining about the ‘subpar’ standards in the Olympic Village.
He still managed to pick up gold in the 100m backstroke on Monday, despite his protests over the living conditions.
And now the Italian star has sought to solving the problem is own way – by sleeping OUTSIDE to seek a rest from fatigue.
Ceccon spread a white towel on the grass and enjoyed a nap under a tree next to a bench during a break from rain on Saturday.
He looked the picture of comfort as he laid on his left side, sporting a pair of Italy crested shorts and left his trainers parked at his feet.
Saudi rower Husein Alireza caught Ceccom napping and posted it on his Instagram, tagging the location as inside the Olympic Village grounds.
It is unclear whether the picture was taken before or after Ceccom and his team-mates failed to reach the final of the 4x100m men’s medley final – which Adam Peaty is set to return in on Sunday night.
OLYMPICS FREE BETS – SIGN UP OFFERS AND DEAL FOR PARIS 2024
The 23-year-old publicly complained about his accommodations immediately after he failed to make the 200m backstroke final on Wednesday.
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.
“I’m disappointed that I didn’t make the final but I was too tired. It’s hard 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”.
And Ceccon – who is also a world record holder in the 100m backstroke – is not the only athlete to find serious faults with the living arrangements.
American star Coco Gauff revealed her fellow female tennis team quit the village after finding the quarters “too cramped.”
The World No2 made an amazing revelation on a TikTok video she shared with her millions of followers.
Organisers believed the design of the 2,807 ‘self-cooling’ apartments would make air conditioning redundant – but they have been proved wrong.
French swimmer Assia Touati said: “We had no AC in the bedroom but they installed it anyway because it was getting too hot.”
Meanwhile, Andy Anson, chief of the British Olympic Association admitted that private chefs had to be called in as an emergency measure.
He told The Times: “There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates, and then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes.”
And Tom Daley had fans in stitches when he showed himself bouncing around on the cardboard “anti-sex” beds– which have been criticised.
The recyclable beds were first introduced at Tokyo 2020 but athletes were quick to joke they were only meant to support one person, ruling out any romantic encounters.
Still more than 300,000 condoms were placed around the village – which is often cited as ‘sex mad’ – for the 15,000 residents.
And seven-time Olympic gymnastic champion Simone Biles wrote on TikTok that the “beds suck” but noted her team were “getting mattress toppers.”
Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns posted to social media that she “already had a massage to undo the damage” from sleeping on the mattress.
Nearly 15,000 residents – around 10,500 of which are athletes – will be cramming into the Olympic village between July 26 and August 11.
To ensure the athletes feel at home, a number of provisions have been made by organisers.
One of these is the stocking of some 300,000 condoms, in theory enough for around two every day during the run of the Games.
A number of Olympic athletes have opened the door on their steamy lives behind-the-scenes when in camp, including huge sex orgies and parties.
London 2012 had claimed the title of “the raunchiest Games ever”, but the 150,000 condoms ordered paled in comparison to the 450,000 ordered for the Rio Games four years later.
Condoms have been laid on by organisers at every game since Seoul 1988, when it they were used to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS.
Even with an intimacy ban at Tokyo 2020 due to Covid-19, some 150,000 johnnies were handed out.
Read the full story here.
