Swimmer Thomas Ceccon, who won the gold medal in the men’s 100m backstroke at the 2024 Olympics for Italy, had to sleep on the grass in the park. The reason was that the athletes’ village was too hot without air conditioning, forcing him to find a place to rest outdoors to recover his strength for the next competitions.
Last week, rower Husein Alireza of Saudi Arabia caught Ceccon sleeping and immediately took a photo and posted it on Instagram. Alireza also checked in at the Olympic village.
The photo quickly went viral on social media. Ceccon, who won the gold medal in the men’s 100m backstroke at the 2024 Olympics for Italy, had an unbelievable moment of rest that surprised many people.
The main reason for this situation was that Ceccon could not stand the heat in the athletes’ village, which lacked air conditioning. This is also a common frustration of many athletes from sports delegations around the world when participating in the Olympics in Paris. Although the host organization is trying to reduce carbon emissions, this does not seem to be enough to improve the living conditions for athletes.
“I have trouble sleeping at night and in the afternoon. There is no air conditioning in the athletes’ village. It is hot and the food is bad. I am not making excuses but it is the reality. I usually sleep in the afternoon when I am at home, but here I have to struggle with the heat and the noise,” Ceccon explained after becoming famous for sleeping in the park.
Thomas Ceccon wins 100m backstroke gold medal
Thomas Ceccon, 23, holds the Italian record in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly, before winning two medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He has a gold medal in his specialty event, the 100m backstroke in 52 seconds, and a bronze in the team event in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
