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South Korean Swimmers Move Out Of Village Amid Transportation Woes

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

Earlier we reported both food supply issues and bus shortages with the onset of the 2024 Olympic Games and now one nation’s swimmers are taking action.

Six South Korean swimmers, including medal contenders Kim Woomin and Hwang Sunwoo, have moved out of the athletes’ village today and will instead stay at a hotel near their competition venue. (The Korea Times)

The hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre as opposed to the two-hour trip to get from the village to the pool described by other athletes. Although the arena is just 10 miles away from the village, bus shortages and traffic tie-ups have increased travel time exponentially.

Of the Koreans’ move, Chong Chang-hoon, president of the Korea Swimming Federation (KSF), told the media, “We just want to make sure they will be at least a bit more comfortable.” (The Korea Times)

After Thursday’s training session, Kim described that the windows on the athletes’ shuttle bus were taped shut, an inconvenience considering the bus also did not have air conditioning.

Hwang added, “It’s cooler outside than inside the bus.

“It usually takes about 40 to 45 minutes from the village to the arena, but it took us more than an hour and a half today. Windows were taped probably because they are worried about terrorist attacks. But something has to be done.” (The Korea Times)

Kim’s first event is the 400m freestyle right off the bat on Saturday while Hwang’s initial swim comes in Sunday’s 200m freestyle race.

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Nick the biased Aussie
3 months ago

Go Korea

HuntDownHypocrite
3 months ago

Rumor has it that bills to be paid by CNOSF shoot up to 9 billion at moment and be expected to reach 11 billion in the end. It’s beyond understanding for sports spectators to correlate these bling-bling figures with an answer sheet submitted by French but leave an unforgettable (in its negative meaning though) impression that France simply is not up there to host an OG regarding organizing aptitude, operational efficiency, managerial maneuver, and the last but not the least, Euro, money in its very sense.

Last edited 3 months ago by HuntDownHypocrite
Tencor
3 months ago

Hopefully the poor organization does not hinder the performance of the swimmers

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Tencor
3 months ago

That’s what I’m scared of.

Get your act together, PARIS!

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
3 months ago

It’s only 10 miles …. a good stretch of the legs.

Erik
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
3 months ago

14 people not getting the joke..

Sapiens Ursus
3 months ago

I’m honestly just grinning we could all this coming from a mile away lets admit it and just all enjoy a beer or whatever while this fire burnsssssssszx

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
3 months ago

Taxi!

postgrad swimmer
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
3 months ago

One of the best movies out there

Andrew
3 months ago

This is getting ridiculous from an operational and logistics standpoint. What an embarrassment for the organizers. Terrible planning overall

oxyswim
3 months ago

Wonder if any of the wealthier athletes in other delegations will follow suit. Not feasible for USAS to accommodate a 50 person team like this.

Facts
Reply to  oxyswim
3 months ago

The USA basketball team never lives in the Olympic village they always rent out a boat or an expensive hotel so this is bound to happen

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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