- Ariarne Titmus shared her experience in the Olympic Village
- The Australian swimming champion was unhappy with the living conditions
- She said her roommates only had to use the bathroom once in the past four days
Olympic athletes had to share one toilet roll between four people and were not given clean bedding in the athletes’ village.
Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus made the shocking revelations during her guest appearance on The Project on Thursday night, where she was asked to open up about her experiences at the controversial accommodation.
“The village is not as glamorous as people think,” she said. “My bathroom in my apartment was bigger than the living room for the four of us.”
Parisian organizers were heavily criticized for the athletes’ living conditions during the two-week sporting festival. Comfort was sacrificed for what some described as a “woke” environmental policy. The stars had to sleep on cardboard beds.
The lack of comfort was too much for Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon, who said goodbye to the cardboard bed towards the end of the Games and took a nap in the park.
But it wasn’t just the flimsy beds that had the athletes angry. Titmus said there were problems with hygiene and toilet facilities during her stay.
“Our sheets were changed after the first night and they stayed that way for the rest of our stay. So we were living in filth,” said Titmus, who previously attributed her inability to break the 400-meter freestyle record to the living conditions in the village.
‘We had to lie about being roommates so we could get toilet rolls. You ran out of toilet paper and they gave you some. [roll] for four days for the entire apartment.’
Ariarne Titmus has revealed that athletes had to share one toilet roll for four days
Titmus’ comments follow claims by British swimmer Adam Peaty that athletes were finding worms in the food they were given.
‘The catering is not good enough for the level expected from the athletes. We have to give the best we can,’ he told the i-newspaper.
‘Tokyo, the food was great, Rio was great. But this time […] “There weren’t enough protein options, long lines, 30 minute wait for food because there was no queuing system.”
He added: ‘The sustainability narrative has just been punished with athletes. I want to eat meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why would I change?’ Peaty added.
‘I like my fish and people find worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.
“The standard is that we look at the best of the best in the world, and we don’t give them the best.
“I just want people to be better at their roles and jobs. And I think athletes are the best sounding board for that.”
Titmus, however, was pleased with the Australian Olympic Committee, which had created a homely atmosphere in their part of the village.
“As Australians we are well looked after by the AOC,” she said.
“I think the best part was our baristas. We had two baristas who were probably the hardest working in the little Australian neighborhood. I would go there every morning and get a cup of coffee.
“They’ve refurbished everything and it felt like home. We had Australian food, Tim Tams, chocolates, everything.”