Gold Medalist Swimmer Spotted Sleeping Under Bench In The Park After Complaining About Olympic Village

Sleeping outside on the ground underneath a bench is more comfortable than the beds in the Olympic Village. At least that's the message Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon is sending after being spotted doing that exact thing after complaining about conditions inside the village.

Saudi rower Husein Alireza was taking a stroll around a park over the weekend and stumbled upon Ceccon taking a snooze next to a bench outside. Alireza added the location to the picture he shared on Instagram as well as inside the Olympic Village in Paris.

Instagram/Huseinalireza

Taking a nap outside, being one with the Earth, is never a bad thing, but deciding to do so inside the Olympic Village surrounded by thousands of the best athletes in the world who all have smartphones is certainly a choice.

Ceccon has already won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and has also done his fair share of complaining about conditions inside the village.

"There is no air conditioning in the village, it’s hot, the food is bad," Ceccon told The Sun. "Many athletes move for this reason: it’s not an alibi or an excuse, it’s the reality of what perhaps not everybody knows."

The Italian said his lack of sleep played a role in him not qualifying for the final of the 200-meter backstroke. Plenty of the athletes in Paris have complained about the living conditions inside the Olympic Village - which is a trend that happens every four years - but in particular, it's the cardboard-like mattresses that athletes are sleeping on that have garnered plenty of attention.

"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. Here, I really struggle between the heat and the noise," he continued.