Working in the athlete’s village was an eye opener to my 22-year-old self. It was one big party for all the countries of the world to attend. Sure, there was real blood, sweat and tears in terms of sporting angst going on, but there were also other blood, sweat and tears being shed elsewhere. At night, you could see the cherries of cigarettes as the village bus propelled you to your relevant destination (mine was the religious centre, randomly. I was answering the phones there. These calls usually involved answering questions like what time is Mass/Morning Prayer or do you have any Bibles or Polish Priests available?).
I also learned about the massive trade in condoms on site. That’s right. When athletes and their physios/coaches/officials rest, they like to do it with other athletes, apparently*. So when I saw this ad on the Chip Shop Awards website this week, it made me smile for this and other reasons. I should warn you, it’s in very bad taste (contains swear words kids), so probably won’t appeal to everyone. I wonder how many condoms will be ordered for this summer’s fun and games? Here's the link to 'Life in the Olympic Village 2012'.
*I expect this is an overclaim on my part, and only applies to single, available athletes, right? I personally never got to find out, seeing as volunteers have their own section of the dining room to eat in. The closest I got to an athlete in the village was on the bus when it resembled the tube and a bunch of male Tunisian athletes were enjoying the proximity to random young women. Actually, this isn’t true either. I was invited into the Team GB quarters by a friend who was canoeing. But that is another story.
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