Mark Cavendish: I fear Olympic village has lost its magic

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I could not ignore Adam Peaty’s comments about the food in the Olympic village. I remember being underwhelmed by the food in Rio. Then again, I also moaned about the lifts in our accommodation, which for some reason didn’t work properly — you had to wait forever to get in one and then half the British team would be in it already because they’d all been waiting too.

It probably sounds spoilt. And maybe it is. I’ve certainly stayed in worse places down the years, believe me! But these things matter when you have obsessed over every detail for four years of your life to prepare for something and there is so much on the line.

Ultimately, I’m a huge fan of the Olympic village. My big fear, actually, is that it will gradually die out as sport becomes more and more professional. Increasingly, the big-name athletes, or even entire delegations, are giving it a swerve because you can control all the variables so much better if you stay offsite — nutrition, hygiene, rest and recovery etc.

It makes sense. There is less chance of catching Covid if you stay holed up in a quiet hotel away from the bubble. Or of getting woken up by drunken athletes singing about some wrestler who has won an unexpected gold. Or, as was claimed by Peaty, allegedly eating fish with worms in them in a food hall which is trying to cater for thousands of athletes.

You can feel the tide turning. I saw Rafael Nadal defend his decision to stay in the village this year, arguing you “only get the full experience” if you fully immerse yourself. I agree with him. But it was perhaps noteworthy that it was Novak Djokovic, who chose to base himself offsite, who won men’s Olympic gold.

It would be such a shame if it went. I competed at three Olympics, although I only stayed in the village at two of them. At London 2012, I was part of the road race team so we stayed down in the Surrey Hills. Road teams tend to stay off site as they need the space to ride and train. Besides, I was off to another race the day after I finished.

‘The village is a mad place’

At Beijing and Rio, though, I was right in the thick of it. As a young man of 23, I had never seen anything like the village in Beijing. The size of the food hall! As big as a football pitch, with food from all over the world. From simple chicken breast, to sushi, to glistening pots of crème brûlée. But the biggest collective appetite was directed towards the fully operating McDonalds.

There would be huge queues for it, although not for Big Macs. It was the only place in the village where you could get a decent coffee. That said, more and more little red boxes were getting squirted with ketchup and BBQ sauce as the Games went on and the athletes started to finish their competitions. There was a McDonalds in Rio, too, but it was much smaller and outside of the village. It was like a tiny kiosk. It wasn’t as imposing as Beijing, but it still widened everybody’s eyes.

It’s kind of hard to describe in detail, but the village is a mad place. It’s like a walled-off community. Getting in and out is difficult, with extremely rigorous security. But I can say that I always felt safe when inside. Nations tend to get put in tower blocks. As GB is a big nation we take up a whole one, but other nations will share. You’ll pass Tom Daley on your way to breakfast and be like ‘Hey Tom. How are you feeling?’ or any random chit-chat colleagues would exchange when passing in an office corridor.

The public perception of the village as this place where condoms are handed out like smarties and everyone is getting selfies with Usain Bolt in the canteen is a little distorted. I don’t want to destroy the myth — I had heard about tables with bowls full of condoms before I went to Beijing — but I never saw anything like that. I think it’s mostly publicity. Something for the media to get excited about.

As for the cardboard beds in Paris, that is a sustainability thing, not an ‘anti-sex’ thing. I saw the South African BMX freestyle rider Vincent Leygonie doing tricks on his bike on his bed. Yes, there are probably a few athletes hooking up. But the truth is everyone is so focused on their events. Increasingly, they fly in as late as possible so as to prepare properly, and they then have to clear out of the village 24 to 48 hours after they have finished their competition. It makes for a good story though.

As for the selfies, there is definitely a bit of that going on, but that’s just normal life now anyway. I remember in Rio everyone watching Nadal play tennis in the village as there were courts there. It was like being back at school in the playground. Everyone watching on from through the wire fencing, cheering. But it probably happens more at the Commonwealth Games. There is more of an amateur ethos there.

‘At the Olympics everyone swaggers’

Everyone at the Olympics is already the best in the world at what they do. If you go to any sporting event, most of the top dogs will have at least a bit of swagger. Well at the Olympics everyone swaggers. The top dog of every country, of every sport, all in one place. I certainly wasn’t out to get selfies with anyone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to see Bolt up close. I respect every Olympic athlete for what they do. They are at the top of their game. But I’m not there to be a fan.

As I say, I would hate to see it go. As much as the food could be a bit poor, or the beds a bit rickety, or the lifts a bit broken, it is unique. Staying in the Olympic village is an experience like no other. Particularly for Team GB athletes. Our Chef de Mission Mark England does an incredible job. You really feel powerful as part of Team GB. Every touch. The red, white and blue everywhere. In Rio we had Brompton bikes to get around the village. Other nations must have thought we were so weird. They’d come around the corner and see a bunch of athletes smashing down the footpath on a fold-up bike.

I’m heading out to Paris on Thursday on behalf of my sponsor Oakley. I’m actually giving a talk at GB House on Thursday evening, and I’m really looking forward to the Olympic experience. But I won’t be staying in the village this time. I’ll miss it.

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