Gold medalist Thomas Ceccon found sleeping in park, complains about Olympic Village conditions

Gold medalist Thomas Ceccon was found sleeping beside a park bench after expressing dissatisfaction with the living conditions in the Olympic Village. Ceccon, an Italian swimmer who won two medals, described the accommodations as "subpar." He decided that sleeping outdoors was preferable to staying in the village, which he claimed had cardboard beds and poor amenities.

The incident was captured by Saudi rower Husein Alireza, who posted a picture on Instagram showing Ceccon curled up under a tree on a white towel. Alireza tagged the location as the Olympic Village grounds. Ceccon, 23, has been vocal about his accommodations since his loss during the 200m backstroke final on Wednesday, July 31.

"There is no air conditioning in the village, it's hot, the food is bad," Ceccon told reporters. "Many athletes move for this reason: it's not an alibi or excuse, it's the reality of what perhaps not everyone knows. 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. Usually, when I'm at home, I always sleep in the afternoon: here I really struggle between the heat and the noise."

The Italian swimming federation (FIN) clarified that the video of Ceccon asleep was unrelated to his earlier comments about the Olympic Village. They told news agency ANSA, "It was just a nap," and emphasized that the clip was filmed during the daytime.

Ceccon is not the only athlete to criticize the conditions. Team USA's Coco Gauff shared that a female tennis teammate left the village due to cramped quarters. French swimmer Assia Touati stated, "We had no AC in the bedroom but they installed it anyway because it was getting too hot." Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns mentioned she "already had a massage to undo the damage" from sleeping on the village's mattress.

The conditions in the Olympic Village have drawn criticism from multiple athletes, suggesting that improvements are necessary for future events.