Inside the Olympic Village dubbed an 'adult summer camp'
An athlete set to take part in the Olympic Games 2024 has revealed a behind-the-scenes look inside this year's Olympic Village in Paris. For the next two weeks from tomorrow, more than 10,000 athletes at the peak of their fitness will be living in accommodation in the district of Saint-Denis as they compete for glory. Jennifer Lehane, 25, from Ireland, is a bantamweight boxer who has taken to TikTok to share the indulgent facilities open to Olympians this year - all of which come for free in their accommodation.
The athlete, who is also a primary school teacher, took to the app to give viewers an insight into the facilities available, which include a bakery, a mindfulness room and a boules court, to name a few. Jennifer - who goes by Jenny - shared the clip alongside the caption: 'Things in the Olympic Village that just make sense,' showing viewers the innumerable facilities offered to athletes. Viewers of the video even went as far as to describe the vast facilities at the Olympic Village as akin to an 'adult summer camp'.
Also sharing a snapshot of the elite Olympic Village amenities was Australian canoeist, Jessica Fox, 30, who shared a clip on TikTok of a 'post office where you can get stamps of yourself and send postcards for free.' Also among those extensive amenities available, is a games room, which includes a foosball table, arcade games, and air hockey, just to name a few. Next in the clip, Jenny - who is the first female bantamweight boxer from her country to qualify for an Olympic Games - shared a video of the slightly more chilled elements of the accommodation.
When Olympians want to wind down after a long day testing their limits in the spotlight, they will find refuge in the Mindfulness Zone which offers cool blue dimmed lights, marshmallow sofas and tropical plants. Athletes can also wind down with a game of Boules or make memories in the photo booth, one of the few Village offerings that doesn't come for free, charging a fee of three euros for two polaroids. Besides the merchandise gift shop and the photo booth, nearly all accompaniments and provisions are provided for free by the games organizers.
A hairdresser and beauty salon will keep Olympians looking their best throughout the two-and-a-bit-week period. Alongside their new uber healthy menu, which has dropped chicken nuggets and fast food, athletes will have the chance to indulge in a several goodies during their stay with free Costa coffees, a fresh bakery, and a slushie machine. The bakery, or boulangerie, not only serves baked goods but Jenny's video shows it offers several luxury jams and curds on offer amidst its quaint pinecone and wheat decorations.
And if they're not too full after a day of munching on warm baguettes and buttery croissants, they'll be able to wash away their sins at the non-alcoholic bar, where a DJ will play. Viewers of the clip were astonished by the quality of the amenities available to Olympians with many taking to the comments to express their envy. One wrote: 'Olympic Village looks like an adult summer camp', while another agreed, writing 'Sometimes I forget that these are literally the world's best athletes and not just a bunch of kids at the coolest summer camp ever.' A third was also gobsmacked by the state of the elite equipment: 'Now I wanna be an Olympic athlete.'
Another commented: 'Honestly the village looks like the best summer sports camp ever. Might need to become an Olympic athlete just to experience it.' Team GB’s base at the Olympic Village, which is aptly situated on an island, boasts a red telephone box and a post box to make athletes feel at home. Team GB bosses believe the base is their 'jewel in the crown', giving them an edge over their medal-table rivals, including hosts France, who do not have a facility of this kind. The insight into the glamorous Olympic setting comes after the speculation surrounding the sleeping facilities at the games.
Athletes have each been kitted out with their own personalized, AI figured mattresses which their inventor claimed can hold up to three individuals each. Motokuni Takaoka, founder of the Airweave mattress company, told the Mail: ‘I was a marathon runner so I appreciate how important it is to have a good sleep before an event.’ He added: ‘They would take two or three people with no worries. They are very robust. The cardboard base is very tough. They will cope with anything the athletes want to do with themselves or their friends.’ Organizers have previously attempted to discourage horizontal gymnastics between athletes. For the second Games running, the beds in the Olympic Village have been made using cardboard, to emphasize the competition’s commitment to sustainability.
Upon arriving at the Olympic Village, Team GB diver Tom Daley, 30, was among those eager to debunk the myth, as he leapt about on his cardboard bed in a TikTok video while saying: ‘As you can see, they are pretty sturdy.’ Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan posted an Instagram video of himself performing handstands and front flips on his bed, saying: ‘Once again, they have these cardboard “anti-sex beds”. No, they pass the test - it’s fake, it’s fake news!’ Some 200,000 free condoms and other contraceptives are on offer in the Olympic Village as 14,250 pumped-up sportspeople at the peak of their fitness live side by side during the competition. American swimmer Ryan Lochte has previously claimed that ‘70 to 75 percent’ of Olympians get intimate during the Games. It took six years to complete the Olympic Village, with a £1.74 billion investment in the run-down Saint-Denis district of the capital likened to the regeneration of east London at the 2012 Games.
