"We don’t eat well and there are problems with the food" - Gold medalist Thomas Ceccon slams the living conditions in Olympic village 

Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon recently opened up on the challenges of living in the Olympic Village. So far, Ceccon has won two medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Ceccon clinched a gold medal in the men's 100m backstroke after posting a remarkable time of 52.00 seconds. He defeated Jiayu Xu and Ryan Murphy, who clocked 52.32 and 52.39 seconds, respectively. In the 4x100m freestyle event, Ceccon helped Italy secure a bronze medal, behind Australia and USA.

The Italian swimmer holds the world record in the event, which he set during the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest after registering a time of 51.60 seconds.

Following this feat, the 23-year-old opened up on the unsatisfactory living conditions in the Olympic Village. With around 852 swimmers residing in the Olympic Village, he claimed that the living conditions are inadequate, lacking basic facilities including air conditioning and food quality. He further said that the dire conditions are forcing athletes to move out of the Olympic Village.

“In the Village there is no air conditioning, it’s hot, the food is bad," he said. "Many athletes move because of this … it is not an alibi it is the pure chronicle of what perhaps not everyone knows."

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"You have a hard time sleeping" - Thomas Ceccon blames the accommodation provisions in Olympic Village

Thomas Ceccon was unhappy with his time during the Men's 200m Backstroke on day five of the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo Getty Images)

Thomas Ceccon fell short of earning a spot in the final round of the 200m backstroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He posted a time of 1:56.59 in the semifinal of the event, whereas the last qualifying swimmer (Hugo Gonzalez of Spain) clocked 1:56.42.

According to "Swim Swam", in a conversation with Italian TV broadcaster Rai, Ceccon stated that fatigue from poor sleep due to noise and immense heat led to exhaustion and disappointing performance.

"Maybe I did not go into the water with the same conviction that I had in the 100m, and that was my mistake, it will serve me well in the future," he said. "I’m disappointed that I didn’t make a finals time, but I was tired too."

"I gave up in the semi-final … a little tired you have a hard time sleeping both at night and in the afternoon, between noise and heat."

Ceccon is poised to compete in the men's 4x100m medley relay event, the heats of which are slated for August 3, 2024.