Coco Gauff reveals why her crew left the Olympic Village for a lodge
Coco Gauff revealed she’s the only member of the American women’s tennis team still staying in the Olympic Village after her teammates fled to a hotel.
The 20-year-old posted a candid TikTok video on Saturday, exposing the conditions the athletes are subjected to inside the brand new $1.6 billion facility, including 10 women sharing just two bathrooms.
The chaotic clip showed several members of Team USA doing their hair, makeup and getting dressed ahead of the first day of events at the 2024 Paris Games.
’10 girls, two bathrooms #olympicvillage,’ she wrote over the post, leading many to comment on how cramped the space appeared to be.
‘I would go to a hotel,’ one fan wrote under the clip, to which she responded, ‘all the tennis girls moved to a hotel except me. so now just 5 girls two bathrooms.’
Coco Gauff exposed the athletes’ very close quarters inside the Olympic Village in Paris
The tennis star revealed that 10 women were sharing just two bathrooms in her corridor
Gauff, however, noted that she’s enjoying herself inside the village, where thousands of competitors from around the world will reside for the next two weeks.
‘Well it’s only 5 girls now so I have the room alone. roommates are very chill. I love it,’ she explained.
Another fan expressed concern about her comfort after it was revealed the athletes would be sleeping on beds made out of cardboard.
‘Archery team lended me a mattress topper,’ she wrote.
It comes amid outcry after Australia’s Olympic Committee angered swimmers by informing them they could only stay in the village for 48 hours following their events before being required to either fly home or find their own accommodation in Paris.
Meanwhile, Aussie water polo player Tilly Kearns and her teammate Gabi Palm have publicly dragged the village’s cardboard bed frames.
The chaotic clip showed members of Team USA doing their hair, makeup and getting dressed
Athletes in the village will sleep on a small bed supported by a cardboard bed frame
‘Already had a massage to undo the damage,’ Kearns moaned via social media, as Palm chimed in, ‘My back is about to fall off.’
Team USA’s Olympic Village Director Daniel Smith previously told People that athletes can choose whether or not they want to stay in the Village.
Many high-profile athletes, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry on the men’s basketball team, are staying off-site in luxury digs.
‘If a sport decides not to stay in [the village], they have to find their own arrangements in terms of where they’re going to stay, and make their own hotel contracts,’ Smith said earlier this week.
Gauff has opted to stay in the village after being named a flag bearer in the opening ceremony
‘A challenge with that is that basically you’re outside of the bubble at that point and Paris 2024 won’t provide you transportation from your specific hotel,’ he added.
‘All of the meals, all of those additional pieces that come along with logistics that athletes in the Village get, you stay out and all of that is on you.’
Unlike most of the infrastructure being used during the 2024 Games, the Olympic Village was purpose built to house over 10,000 athletes.
When the event is over, the area will be transformed into a residential and commercial neighborhood.
Earlier this week, Gauff stood alongside James as one of America’s two flag bearers during the opening ceremony.
‘I never thought in a million years I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA in the opening ceremony,’ the Grand Slam winner said in a statement.
‘I could not be more proud to lead my teammates with LeBron as we showcase our dedication and passion on the biggest stage there is.’
