Australian News Today

Lamb chop limits and ‘cardboard beds’: Great fears records missed due to ‘ridiculous’ Olympic village

Lamb chop limits and ‘cardboard beds’: Great fears records missed due to ‘ridiculous’ Olympic village

James Magnussen and Matty Johns have weighed in on the “ridiculous” conditions facing athletes at the Olympic Village amid reports several are moving out to save their campaigns.

Speaking from Paris from the Matty & The Missile podcast, Australian former Olympic sprint swimmer Magnussen suggested the lack of world records in the pool at the Paris Games so far was partly due to conditions at the athletes’ village.

Several athletes have voiced their frustration with the food options and polythene mattresses at the Village. Earlier this week, American tennis star Coco Gauff revealed that several of her teammates had left the $1.6 billion housing complex.

LISTEN TO ‘MATTY & THE MISSILE’ EVERY DAY FROM PARIS, AVAILABLE ON LEADING PODCAST PLATFORMS AND FOX SPORTS NEWS

DAY 3 LIVE: FOLLOW ALL THE SWIMMING HEATS & FINALS ACTION HERE

Matty & the Missile: Full episode, Day 2 | 21:14

Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus even hinted at similar concerns after winning gold in the women’s 400m freestyle final.

“It probably wasn’t the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic Village makes it hard to perform,” Titmus said on Sunday.

“It’s definitely not made for high performance, so it’s about who can really keep it together in the mind.”

FULL PARIS SCHEDULE: Every event with AEST times

MEDAL TALLY: How the fight for Paris dominance stands

EVERY AUSSIE: Who is representing us in each sport?

Hungary’s Minister of Defense and Sport Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky visits Hungarian athletes at the Olympic Village. Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier / POOL / AFPSource: AFP

Speaking on the podcast, Magnussen confirmed many of the athletes were “fed up with the facilities”, particularly the cardboard beds in their rooms.

“We saw again tonight, great results in the pool, but as far as times goes, they’re well off those world marks,” Magnussen said.

“You’re trying to get the perfect result in the most imperfect environment. And it really is at the end of the day who can overcome these setbacks, who can put these distractions aside.

“There will be many athletes across the two weeks of competition who miss out on a medal or miss out on a record or miss out on a final because they’re unsettled by this new environment they haven’t seen before.

“We haven’t had this amount of complaints about a Village in Olympic history.”

Rugby league icon Matthew Johns added: “The Olympics and people have trained so hard for four years, they turn up here and they’re sleeping on cardboard beds. It’s just ridiculous.”

Titmus v O’Callaghan for 200m showdown | 02:08

Magnussen also revealed an Australian weightlifter had complained about the food portions available in the Olympic Village.

“I joked last night about the amount of vegan options in the Village, that they’re running out of meat,” Magnussen continued.

“Well, an Australian heavyweight boxer has come out. He wanted lamb chops, maximum two chops per person. The guy’s six foot six.

Johns joked: “He’s come here as a heavyweight, he’ll go home as a middleweight.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joins members of the German Olympic team in the canteen as he visits the Olympic Village. Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier Pool/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Last week, British media reported the nation’s Olympic team brought in an extra chef after complaining about a shortage of the right food at the Village and the quality of what’s on offer.

Andy Anson, the British Olympic Association chief executive, told The Times the Village “is not adequate” and that “a dramatic improvement” was needed.

Some British competitors have moved elsewhere in the city to get fed and collect packed meals to take back for dinner.

“There are not enough of certain foods; eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates,” Anson explained.

“And then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes.”

Anson called the food problem “the biggest issue at the moment” and said the added chef was to cater for the extra demand at their so-called performance lodge.