- 2024 Games start in June
- Swimming will be among the first tests
- Logistics mean they will have to leave town early.
Australia’s champion swimming team will be forced to leave the Olympic village 48 hours after their events at the Paris Games conclude in July due to a shortage of accommodation.
The decision has been met with criticism from swimming greats, including former Olympic gold medalist Duncan Armstrong, who expressed his disappointment at the athletes’ expulsion from the village.
The evacuation order for Australian Olympic athletes arises from the logistical challenge of housing a team that exceeds the 464 beds allocated by Australian officials, with a team consisting of more than 570 athletes.
High hotel prices in Paris, averaging around $1,200 per night, and a shortage of available rooms during the Games period have made the situation worse.
As a result, some of Australia’s best swimmers are considering temporarily leaving France after the competition, before returning for the closing ceremony lap of honour.
Australia is hoping for a gold rush in the pool at the Paris Olympics with one of the strongest contingents in history traveling to France (pictured left to right: Australian swimming stars Kaylee McKeown, Chelsea Hodges, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell).
The Paris Olympic Village (pictured) will not be home to Australia’s top talent pool for the entirety of this year’s Games.
Relocation plans include destinations such as Italy, England or Marseille within France, as athletes deal with unexpected logistical obstacles.
Despite initial resistance from swimmers, it is now grudgingly accepted that they cannot influence the decision.
“Really disappointed. Once Covid is over, I don’t know why we have to put up with that kind of thing,” Armstrong said.
“I know it’s a space and budget issue, but I really feel for the athletes because that second week of the Games is a reward for all the pressure, hard work and sacrifices it took to get there. It’s because of the difficult decisions you made.
‘After that second week you feel totally rewarded when you get home. But not spending that week in the town… I think it’s a real shame, the wrong way to go.’
Former Olympian Duncan Armstong (pictured) said Australian swimmers do not deserve to be punished just because their trials take place in the early part of the Games.
Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Susie O’Neill is disappointed by the Australian swimming team
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Susie O’Neill was torn by the decision and understood the swimmers’ disappointment but also the logistical necessity.
“It’s difficult because in the role I have played as an official, I can perfectly understand why they send everyone because not everyone fits in the town,” she said.
‘But as a former swimmer I am disappointed for them because I think there is a lot of pressure on the swim team. Literally how they perform is how the Australian team is perceived at the Olympics because that’s where most of the medals come from.
“It’s really disappointing that they have to go; I remember being 18 in 1992 and going to the football with Angus Waddell in the second week, but if I had been in the role of Anna Meares (Mission Chef), I would have done the same.” . O’Neill said.
The final makeup of the Australian swimming team will be decided at next month’s Olympic trials, and many athletes are already making tentative plans for their temporary departure from Paris.
