- James Magnussen critiques the overly progressive Paris Games, claiming they hinder athletes’ performances.
- He argues that sustainable practices are negatively affecting sports performance.
- Athletes from various countries have expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions.
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has criticized the Paris Olympics for their intense focus on sustainability, suggesting it undermines athletes’ potential to achieve world records.
Magnussen, who earned gold, silver, and bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and who was champion in the 100m freestyle in 2011 and 2013, retired from competitive swimming in 2019.
He contends that the overarching eco-friendly and vegan-centric policies at this esteemed global event are detrimental to athletes’ performance.
“There are numerous issues affecting life in the village,” he noted in his column for News Corp.
“For one, the cardboard beds fail to provide ideal sleep conditions.
“Also, the absence of air conditioning is likely to have significant consequences as the days progress. Yesterday’s weather was 20 degrees and rainy, but mid-30s are expected soon.
“Having portable air conditioners will certainly benefit the Australian team during this heat.”
“Additionally, the overcrowded buses lack airflow. The amount of walking required is another concern; during the London Olympics, I often attained 6000-7000 steps daily, just moving between my room, the dining area, and the bus stop to the pool.”
James Magnussen (pictured) states that the eco-friendly, vegan-first approach in Paris is harming athletes’ chances to break records.
Numerous athletes have voiced their displeasure regarding the cardboard beds (depicted).
Paris Games organizers have been highly vocal about their green initiatives, branding this event the most sustainable in history.
However, Magnussen asserts that this pursuit may have overshot its target, resulting in an environment that could be the hardest ever for athletes to achieve world-record performances.
“The absence of world records can be attributed to this extreme eco-friendly, carbon footprint-reducing, vegan-first ideology instead of prioritizing performance,” he expressed.
“A charter mandated that 60% of the food in the village must be vegan, yet just a day before the opening ceremony, they ran out of meat and dairy options due to underestimating the demand from athletes preferring these choices.”
“Consequently, the caterers had to adjust their provisions and bring in additional meat and dairy products because, shockingly, elite athletes often do not subscribe to vegan diets.”
Vegan substitutes, such as a ‘not dog’ (depicted), made from plant-based materials have been available to competitors.
Magnussen emphasizes that the focus of the Paris Games should be on performance enhancement.
“They might have viewed the Netflix documentary ‘Game Changers’ and assumed all athletes share those dietary preferences. But let me clarify: Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Roger Federer — none of these legends follow a vegan diet,” he emphasized.
Conditions in the athletes’ village have already drawn criticism from Australian representatives.
The much-discussed ‘anti-sex’ cardboard beds did not sit well with water polo player Tilly Kearns and teammate Gabi Palm, who remarked that “my back is about to break” after just one night.
Tennis player Daria Saville shared on her social media that the village environment is far from a hotel experience.
“We don’t have hotel-like housekeeping in the Olympic Village, so you have to grab your own toilet paper,” she captioned a video showing her collecting several rolls.
