Australian athletes are set to be booted from the Olympic village for the Paris 2024 Olympics after a decision from the Australian Olympic Commission that looks to crack down on the party culture of the Australian contingent.
News Corp reports that the AOC says there’s evidence to prove the decision will benefit the health and performances of the team, but former Olympians are up in arms.
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It comes after a successful 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Australia that was significantly more subdued than the contingent’s usual raucous partying antics.
Every four years, concern is raised as to the sustainability and culture that the Australian Olympic Team’s partying promotes, and the Olympic Commission appears to want to recreate the team’s Tokyo focus moving forward.
“I think it’s a real shame because for most people this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” swimming legend Giaan Rooney said.
“It diminishes the Olympic experience.
“Because alcohol is banned in the village any parties all take place outside the village, but there’s already plenty of noise and distraction because people are coming and going all the time.
“But that’s all part of the Olympic experience and it’s actually inspiring to see people walk around the village who have won medals. It gives everyone a lift.
“I’m incredibly proud to be an Olympian and incredibly proud to say I swam at two Olympics, but a lot of the best memories I have are of getting dressed up and going and supporting my teammates.”
Under the new rules, Australian athletes will have to vacate the village within 48 hours of the conclusion of their events, with leniency for equipment-heavy competitors.
They can opt to remain in Europe in order to attend the closing ceremony, but at their own expense.
For many athletes such as footballers, rugby players and swimmers, whose competition schedules are not beholden to the traditional start and finish schedules dictated by the ceremonies, the changes would mean either astronomical accommodation bills during a European Olympic summer, or the loss of crucial elements of the Olympic experience.
“It’s purely a performance based decision,” AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said.
“The learnings from Tokyo were absolutely positive that for the athletes who are competing in the second week, reducing the load on the village by athletes who have finished was positive for both their preparation and their health,” he said.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were held in strict biosecurity protocols owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We want all of the athletes to be able to perform at their best, whether they have a medal chance or not, so it doesn’t matter what sport you’re in,” Carroll said.
“The athletes could take a holiday. They’re free to do that.
“I’ve spoken to a few of the athletes and everyone understands it.
“This is about performance. It’s not for the wowsers, we’re actually doing it for the athletes who are still competing.
Former Olympic silver medallist and 100-metre freestyle world champion James Magnussen called it “shameful” in a column for News Corp on Saturday morning.
“I strongly believe that everyone who makes the Australian team in Paris deserves to have the full Olympic experience,” he wrote.
“Being an Olympian is not just about winning medals. It is a rare achievement that deserves to be properly celebrated – no matter what result they achieve.
“Most athletes only ever get to one Olympic Games, so just making the team is the reward for a lifetime of hard work. They should be allowed to soak up every moment.
“Sending them home early just makes no sense.
“Speaking as a swimmer, this feels like a transactional decision.
“Swimmers already can’t go to the opening ceremony because we start competing the next day, so they wheel us in, straight into the competition pool, and always with very lofty expectations.
“The moment we’re finished, rather than letting our hair down and relaxing and celebrating and feeling like we’re part of the greater Australian Olympic team, you get kicked out of the village and on your bike.
“What they’re really doing is making the Olympics feel like just another competition rather than the special once-in-a-lifetime experience that generations of Australian athletes have had before.
“That’s missing out on a big part of the mystique of the Olympics and being able to support your teammates and meet athletes from other countries.
“They should never take that away.”
Ken Wallace won gold in canoeing in Beijing in 2008 and is a three-time Olympian, as well as the deputy chair of the Athletes’ Commission, and said that “the athletes’ voice was definitely heard”.
“I agree that being in the Olympic Village is a part of the whole Olympic Games experience but I don’t agree that it should outweigh performance,” he said.
“We all love a good larrikin, but we also want to be a respectful team.
Under the strict rules of the village in Tokyo, Australia ranked 6th in the medal tally, taking home 17 golds, which was its equal-best finish since the highs of Sydney 2000, known for some of the most legendary Olympic athlete parties of all time as Aussie athletes were allowed to revel in the novelty of an Olympics that celebrated the new millennium on home soil.
