The accommodations for the more than 10,000 Olympians who traveled to Paris weren’t exactly five-star.
British bronze-medal weightlifter Emily Campbell delivered a scathing review of the sleeping arrangements that she endured in the Olympic Village.
“I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed,” Campbell told the BBC after the Olympics. “I know it sounds so… but honestly, the cardboard beds are not a vibe. I’m looking forward to going home and seeing my family because I haven’t been able to catch up with them.”
In Tokyo in 2021, Campbell put up a silver-medal performance in the women’s +87 kg event.
The beds were a central talking point going into Paris.
They were made from recycled materials and reportedly designed to help save resources for the environment, but many joked that they also stop any love-making dead in its tracks.
“I hope that Paris 2024’s efforts to reduce its impact will show that it is possible to do things differently,” said Georgina Grenon, director of environmental excellence for the organizing committee prior to the games.
The quality of the food was also called into question by those who stayed in the Olympic Village.
Another British medalist, swimmer Adam Peaty, claimed he found worms found in his food in the Olympic Village.
“I want to eat meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?” Peaty, who won the silver medal in the 100-meter breast stroke, told iNews.
“I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough. The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world — and we’re feeding them not the best.”
The food vendor for the Olympics denied the accusations.
Still, the conditions in the Olympic Village led to some staying elsewhere.
The gold medal-winning U.S. men’s basketball team ditched the Olympic Village in favor of the luxury Paris Marriott Opera Hotel.