Why the Swimming Times are SO SLOW at the Olympics...

[@FaresKsebati]

Talk all things Olympics in my FREE discussion room!: www.skool.com/swim-for-life

[@syficc]

Pan Zhanle: "Eating meat here is like chewing wood", Qin Haiyang: “It really has a huge impact. Basically, I am woken up at six o'clock every morning for testing.”

[@mac4039]

“Below expectations” applies to so many aspects of these substandard Game conditions. Worse than the pool competition is the fact that organisers actually made triathlon athletes swim in the filthy Seine River.

[@luckas221a]

It's insane. Imagina hosting the Olympics and sending an athlete to the hospital withh E. Coli

[@supernova743]

The IOC is having problems because building everything new is incredibly expensive and cities are realizing that they could end up paying billions and be left with unused structure and make no profits. There were only two cities that applied for the games and they granted one city the 2024 games and the other the 2028 games because thet feared nobody would apply to host the 2028 games. The IOC is looking to make use of pre existing structures and temorary structures dramatically loweing costs in hopes of attracting more hosts in the future. This has dramatically lowered quality of the arenas but may save the olympics in the future, or kill them. Time will tell

[@mac4039]

@@supernova743 In Paris though they didn’t build everything new - and they cut down (to an unsustainable level) on quality in so many basic aspects! Mattresses in sections, cardboard framed beds, no air conditioning, vegan food - athletes need protein and more protein, transport to venues without air con. The triathletes should not have to swim in sewage! Add to that (and much more not stated) you can bet your boots that the IOC organising team will be very well paid regardless of how much debt is left to the taxpayers of the host nation to deal with. France made it clear that the spirit of the Games is lost. It is an unfair playing field due to ridiculous policies (in the name of ‘inclusion’) and athletes have been disrespected and treated badly. Sub-standard. If we can’t create a healthy and fair competition it’s better to stop the waste of money and effort - and hand the sporting competition over to more capable hands.

[@wli2718]

didnt some of them start vomiting?

[@mac4039]

@@wli2718 Yes I seem to remember there were several. Triathletes were dosed up with antibiotics before and since the race. It’s unbelievably unhygienic.

[@JoshSher_]

Sometimes I forget how refined sports have become and how close to perfection athletes have evolved. So much that "little" things like this can have such a relatively big impact. Fascinating!

[@FaresKsebati]

Absolutely! 🙌

[@diogocinefilo]

Diet during a competition is not “little thing” for athletes

[@JoshSher_]

@@diogocinefilo ​​⁠ true! That’s why I put it in “ “. Little was probably the wrong word. My point was that it’s fascinating how close to perfection the core aspects like technique, strength, endurance have been honed. So much that other things gain more and more priority. Things that were probably a lot lower in priority 50 years ago. Like taking the team to a different country for 3 weeks, to acclimate and having sleep consultants in a team. It’s fascinating to me, that things that have been considered “smaller” aspects, are now not so small anymore (as mentioned by you), because the athlete’s level in the core aspects are so good. And of course those aspects are all intertwined and can’t be observed completely isolated, but I hope you understand what I mean😊

[@carloss6707]

At this level every piece counts: cardboard beds, hot bus, pool depth, sleep quality, food

[@FaresKsebati]

It all compounds in each other

[@JamesKarren]

Don’t forget the infamous std’s of the Olympic village Lol

[@chamuelolivier1594]

Controls?

[@Andrew-zd1rn]

I would of brought a king blowup bed

[@franstar1730]

Also lack of sex, I mean, what girl would want to go to those tiny beds in rooms without air conditioning

[@jayscaping]

I've also heard Popovici is staying in an AirBnB, so if he performs as expected then it would definitely show that the village conditions are having more of an effect than the pool

[@FaresKsebati]

That would be a historic Airbnb…imagine the listing title 😂

[@mihaiciubotaru7143]

@@FaresKsebati He just got Gold at 200m free style.

[@aquamanxavier]

@@mihaiciubotaru7143 he was 1.8 secs off his best though, maybe wave interference?

[@jayscaping]

@@aquamanxavier yeah he was way off. Im officially convinced it's the pool

[@yougohgoh1]

@@mihaiciubotaru7143it is almost certain that the pool is the culprit

[@caffeinatedrabbit]

Depth of pool may be the cause. Swimmers create turbulence (waves). Shallow pool - waves cannot travel very far = MORE TURBULENCE. Deep pool - waves travel further and disperse more efficiently = LESS TURBULENCE. I swam at two similar size community pools. But, one is shallow and the other has a deep end. During lane swimming in the shallow pool, I was thrown around and had a difficult time staying in the lane. I didn't experience any problems while lane swimming in the deeper pool, even when it was crowded. Turbulence/opposing forces = less speed/more effort. Just a thought :)

[@FaresKsebati]

For sure it’s an impact, but I think there’s more to the story.

[@caseysmith544]

@@FaresKsebati I wonder if sensors for registering are slow because they could not use top level equipment in coming under the proposed budget unlike other city who wanted to host finding out they would be over budget.

[@cristibaluta]

A world record was just broken at 100m, so it was not the depth

[@caseysmith544]

@@cristibaluta If this was a Chinese athlete, my guess is they were legally cheating $$$$ using actual PED's Because the proper organizations were bought off.

[@cristiansmochina9056]

Not all swimming athletes stay in the Olympic village. Some wisely chose hotels next to the aquatic center and they are still slow

[@peace7482]

If you're good you're good, if you suck you suck...

[@seedsoflove7684]

So the pool is a contributor.

[@seedsoflove7684]

@@timn4481 some records set in pool today, so it isnt the pool! 😄

[@classicclassi6146]

People have said just keep the Olympics in Greece, I mean when it comes to sustainability for the environment and finance, that would make a lot of sense

[@EightFrancs]

AGREED. But will never happen because of money, money, money.

[@bpxl53yewz29]

Maybe Greece doesn’t want to host each time.

[@ChileanChimp]

​@EightFrancs what do you mean because of money?

[@maji_murph]

Greece has enough problems and the last time it was there it bankrupted them

[@cristibaluta]

I think it's better to get rid of the opening, many cities already have all they need for the olympics

[@ninesehyper]

even tho the pool is shallow as heck. I think the main contributor is really the olympic village. I aint never seen athletes complain this much about those conditions in a hot minute. Imagine athletes are choosing to stay in an airbnbs for better conditions.

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed.

[@jimbendtsen8841]

7 feet is not "shallow as heck".

​@@jimbendtsen8841 it is certainly the shallowest I remember seeing at the Olympics

[@olgazhdanova]

All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us. MJ

[@olgazhdanova]

Because it's all about favorite stupid word in Europe this days - economy/saving. I wonder how they didn't put all swimmers in the Seian to not need to build the stadium

[@sultanniazi2394]

The Chinese nailed it. They hosted the best Olympics ever and none of these issues existed. No one wants to hear that but it’s a fact.

[@FaresKsebati]

Michael Phelps did have a near perfect Olympic Games experience! Outside of the fact his goggles filled up in the 200m butterfly, he broke the world record in almost every single event he swam!

[@lucial9887]

True. Chinese people normally try to be the best host.

[@liamrogers263]

London 2012 was as good as Beijing for sure

[@mangos2888]

​@@liamrogers263But London is so much more expensive

[@CTdarkmatter]

The Chinese government made damned sure of that. Of course it was good

[@pormodr]

Suumer was -1.5s of the WR before the breaststroke leg, the pool depth for sure impacts breaststroke speed

[@FaresKsebati]

Interesting observation. I did notice that. She may have just gone out really hard like Marchand did yesterday

[@cham00ko]

you are onto something here... maybe of all the strokes breaststroke is the most impacted by the shallow pool.. makes sense with the depth some swimmers go at the turns and after the initial dive

[@pormodr]

​@@cham00ko It is also just naturally the most resistance prone stroke. As much as swimmers can avoid pushing water, the recovery gets harder with even small waves.

[@themountain3461]

Or maybe different swimmers just have different strengths and Summer isn't as good at breaststroke as the WR?

[@pormodr]

@@themountain3461 it is literally her world record from a month ago

[@wesdonze2014]

I was certainly expecting the ladies 400 free to be close to a world record for the winner given the high standard of the competitors

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed was hoping to see 3x athletes around 3:55

[@카일마진]

Olympics Paris is looking like a contest on each countries budget for sports....bring your own food, book your own place, get your own vehicle

[@FaresKsebati]

Next: bring your own pool

[@purselmer5931]

Absolutely right. But, it doesn't seem that those w/more money (US and Australia) are mitigating these terrible conditions all that well, yet anyway.

[@jimbo6059]

GB got a chef in too.

[@JonsonJavier]

That's why it is less costly than other hosts. Other countries went way beyond the proposed budget. And being a host had serious negative economic repercussions to their economy after the Olympics. That's why no one wants to host Olympics.

[@caseysmith544]

@@JonsonJavier With the exception of China, who is using said venues for its own athletes and for events, sure economy had a downturn sort of from hosting in 2008 but is back because of now easier access to crap knock offs via Temu of higher low end Chinese products and higher end products, mid level, as well as crap via AliExpress as well as a few other sellers in Asia/Middle East and selling on e-Bay since 2010. 2022 Winter Olympics China was crap outright illegal via the Geneva convention and they basically ban athletes from even having real food or any communication with fake food being served just so China could game medals knowing this was happening, and in sports China is never really good at like most of the skiing or snowboard events, China purposely picked a spot so bad nobody was able to do there event, one person from South Korea Women is still Missing on one of the Snowboard events she just disappeared off the mountain and were barred by China from looking for her and when China tried they did not really look or could not because weather was too dangerous. South Koreans are now ban from going to China ever since even if athletes are doing a world event or some other kind of event on a circuit, they have to skip or face some harsh penalties.

[@jayscaping]

The swimming is not taking place in the aquatics center, it's in a different stadium venue that's quite a bit further away

[@FaresKsebati]

Noted! Yes, even more reason why the bus system can have a big impact on peak performance! Thank you for the comment :)

[@dominiqueanderson2576]

Look again at the map: from the Olympic Village it to the left and slightly south - just behind La Defense (square, cubic icon) - it's marked Aquatics (Swimming).

[@tann_man]

Looks like you're right. Diving, waterpolo, artistic at the acquatic center. Only 5 minute bus ride from the village. No way such a short ride would matter. But it looks like the actual venue Paris La Défense Arena is a 20+ min bus ride which would suck if done multiple times a day.

[@drym3943]

​@@tann_man It's 15minutes maximum. There are empty roads privatised for the games so it's fast.

[@gurbigg6380]

In 2008 olympic there were new fast swimsuit and no instagram/X to complain about everything. Best way to focus on performance 😅

[@bpxl53yewz29]

I don’t think it’s the village conditions. They had cardboard beds in Tokyo and Japan summers are brutal, but some broke world records there. Plus, the U.S bought air conditioning units for our athletes in Paris. It’s the pool, probably depth and maybe temperature.

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed. A lot of variables

[@jimbendtsen8841]

The shit vegan food impacts the athletes.

[@Neojhun]

@@jimbendtsen8841 Wow you got brainwashed with that false narrative. Not all the food there is vegan. It's basically just following existing demand trends.

[@jeffryglenn7024]

90%+ It's the POOL.

[@BSimpson-oh8mm]

That and covid going around. Peaty & Pallister are examples

[@lukio3441]

99%

[@FaresKsebati]

Next Olympics need a 10m deep pool!!

[@BSimpson-oh8mm]

@@FaresKsebati the crazy long bus rides drain energy

[@jameshorn4125]

Agreed. It's the pool. Competitive swimmers know this. We and our coaches know this. You hear them say, "That's a fast pool (or slow pool). You will probably have a faster time (or slower time) at this or that pool. " This goes way back. It's true, there are fast pools and slow pools. Paris definitely has a slow pool

[@tann_man]

Shear friction, the force applied horizontally from the surface of the water or the bottom of the pool particularly when underwater matters a lot. Research into the fastest modes of swimming have found underwater dolphins on your side are just as fast if not faster than the fastest widely known method back underwater dolphins. On your back you have the advantage of your weaker up kick pressing back into your rising body vortex which reduces drag. But on your side, if you're in the middle of the pool the side surfaces are much farther away and hardly exert any shear friction whatsoever. Using this notion it would make sense a more shallow pool would exert more friction on your stomach or back. Additionally as others have mentioned there's less diffusion of energy down and instead that energy bounces off the walls back into the swimmers in the form of waves. Furthermore you have the issue of the vacuum phenomenon when kicking near the bottom of the pool pulls the swimmer closer towards the bottom and adjustments need to be made for start and turn depths and the psychology of things feeling "off" and the dimensions of the pool slows everyone down. tldr; its likely the pool.

[@igaroot]

hairy fish brain size friction science wins

[@pormodr]

Really like this summary!

[@helensid6670]

Less water to absorb kinetic energy, very interesting comment, thank you!

[@kevinmithnick9993]

Air conditioning is not only related to temp/humidity. Also air quality: fresh, clean air. Poorly maintained equipment and/or bad ventilation leads to mold, bacteria, virus getting into people's lungs

[@FaresKsebati]

Good points 🫁

[@stiktougaizeur]

And can we talk about the free lodging, with free food, free nursery services, and free dental and healthcare YOUR athletes are receiving here in our third-world country, because they simply can’t afford to pay thousands of bloody dollars to get a simple health checkup or a blood test in YOUR wonderful advanced country ?

[@stiktougaizeur]

America’s great again. !

[@malik_alharb]

It's ridiculous that they couldn't replicate a pool with the proper depth

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed.

[@andreamantovani5354]

​@FaresKsebati check your facts. The rules say the pool should be 2mt deep, and so it is. The pools could be made 2m5m or 3m but that's optional and depends on how much money the prganization wants to spend on it the deeper, the faster. They are stingy, so they decided to go foe the minimum the rules can accept, which is 2mt

[@minavamp2811]

@@andreamantovani5354 you wrong the rule book said 2 meters to 3 meters. these days most competitive swimming pools are 3 meters. the paris olympics didn't want a 3 meter pool because they said the city code would not allow them to build 3 meter pool which is bs.

[@andreamantovani5354]

@minavamp2811 I am not wrong. I said the pool is following the International Federation's rules which says 2mt is ok. So the pool is totally compliant. It is slower than a 3mt one for sure. But building a 3mt one is easy more expensive than a 2mt one and the City, that pays for the pool, is simply making up excuses to justify not paying the extra mt which would have made the whole thing 50% more expensive

[@mightymouse0486]

​@@andreamantovani5354 Pretty dumb though. Wouldn't they won't world records broken there. They don't care cheap people

[@m.parisi2273]

I think it’s a combination of many things. The conditions in the Olympic village and transportation would definitely have an effect. But I have no doubt the pool is a major factor in this. It is very obvious from watching this meet on tv and looking at past major meets that the waves are much worse in this pool. That’s why we are seeing some events more affected than others. Also looks like some swimmers are getting extremely close to hitting the underwater cameras.

[@purselmer5931]

I think those who dive down furthest (i.e. the breaststrokers on their underwater pullouts) are affected the most. But you are right - the waves on the surface are terrible too. I do find these times disappointing.

[@wesdonze2014]

Summer McIntosh was impressive in the womens 400 IM but no WR for her today - still well ahead ( and still a junior of course . I also heard just now that Adam Peaty of GB has tested positive for covid today so I wonder if he was feeling the effects of that yesterday and also wonder if covid is around in the village

[@FaresKsebati]

Summer absolutely owned that race!!

[@traciedye9633]

Summer just set the Olympic Record today in the 200 Fly.

[@removilmata5377]

None of that affected the chinese swimer who broke the record for an huge and historicall margin.

[@SSCWDProductions]

My sister is an olympic swimmer and I'm here in Paris supporting her (She's American). It is rlly sad how bad the conditions are, she has complained about the pool a little bit and the olympic village is apparently terrible. Apparently she had a piece of meet that was like raw. It's so sad bc you should expect good conditions. However, I am still having so much fun seeing the Olympics.

[@FaresKsebati]

Have fun and good luck to your sister! 🇺🇸

[@Bu-22]

The food she had, they call it tartare, a French dish. 😂

[@Vlaadek73]

raw meat is good, it'a french dish

[@olgazhdanova]

​@@Vlaadek73raw meat is not good at all. Especially every day. Sportsmen have specific diets and they not design to eat delicatess of strange french cousine, especially in this high level of competition.

[@duqial]

​@@olgazhdanovawell they have a canteen with more than one dish to choose from so like

[@TheEdmeaux]

Many American & Canadian swimmers are staying at a hotel next door to the swimming venue. I see them at breakfast and mid day. Some. But not all.

[@richardtrass]

My guess is it’s the pool. Popovici’s time wouldn’t have won an Olympic final since 2000

[@FaresKsebati]

With such an intense field, I feel like all of those guys would’ve been a full second faster (at least) if this event happened at the US trials pool just a month ago

[@richardtrass]

@@FaresKsebati enjoying your coverage Sir

[@sarahallouch9160]

The arena is located in la défense, it is not where you claim it is. The aquatic center is for other sports like diving

[@eegnoagn8048]

When most were slow, they concluded that the pool was slow. Their logic that followed was that because the pool was slow, anyone breaking WR must've had extra help. But then, swimmers have become faster and WRs started to get broken everyday! .. Deduction: this pool can be swam fast, but many swimmers just hadn't adapted enough to it during the early days.

[@micheledaniels6409]

While I certainly understand the outside circumstances that may affect performance, I can't shake the idea that the pool depth from 3 meters to 2.1 meters has to doing something way more than expected. If that 2.1 meters is on the shallow side where the start blocks are, would it not be messing with a swimmers start? Their dive would be different, their walls would be adjusted. I mean it sucks to not a get a record at the Olympics but I am just happy to appreciate the great level of swimming regardless.

[@FaresKsebati]

The entire pool is the same depth. Normally it’s 3m. I think this is a contributing factor but not the full story.

[@Endimione17]

a 2.15m pool is totally absurd for Olympics: this is crazy

[@rudyhonings]

Why? It's swimming, not deep diving!

[@Endimione17]

@@rudyhonings 'cause it's recommended 3m deep

[@vizender]

@@Endimione17Olympics ask for at least 2m. Which they got. It’s not crazy

[@spdreyer-xw7fd]

Luckily its not 1.25 or .15m

[@christianmarcel7766]

Cardboard beds have already been used during the Tokyo games. Another world record has fallen yesterday. What are you guys whining about?

[@bluezauza]

Many athletes have moved from the olympic village due to bad food, raw meat, badly cooked meals, shortage of eggs and chicken but plenty of vegan and vegetarian having to wait over 45 minutes for food because the portions were too small and if you were training early you had to travel 45m or more to the venues then come back and wait another 45m or more for a meal the return and make another 45 minutes to the venues ,I believe this issue was resolved later, but many had to buy food outside of the village, not all can afford that. If the comitê wanted to be aware of the planet they should have done it in other ways, and think first that you do not change what the athletes are used to eat during high performance competitions, or force the athletes to sleep in very thin mattresses and not one full body mattress but cut in three, hot rooms without AC, longs distances from the performance venues, and so on. Yes, some cope better than others to change or bad conditions, but it's still not a good image for the organization.

[@christianmarcel7766]

@@bluezauza Not true except for some eggs and meat shortages and the lack of AC.

[@Loosethefat]

I’m not subscribing to idea that the Olympics are not designed to be fast because it’s just a bid media event. A world record would also be a big media event.

[@FaresKsebati]

Fair enough but the organizing team(s) are not only focused on setting up a fast environment for swimming. They have a lot of other considerations that make the Olympics…the Olympics!

[@stewhobson9748]

How do you explain the several records, both world and olympic, that were set in the women’s competition?

[@pablobilbao9258]

Not explained, just disregarded.

[@TheRomanoBaker]

46.9 Pan with that pool shows how bloody good he's

[@mschauer97]

That was in the relay and does not count, in the semifinal of the 100m free he swam a 47.21.

[@josemigueldvg6119]

It counted because it was the first leg :) ​. Now in the final he broke the world record with an amazing swim 🫠@@mschauer97

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

@@mschauer97in the finals he broke the 100 free world record by .5 seconds! So the pool apparently didn’t affect him. Or maybe his drugs were really great.

[@mschauer97]

@@Redwhiteblue-gr5em I don't think he was on steroids, he just had an excellent swim. Congratulations Pan!

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

@@mschauer97you probably thought all the East German women swimmers were clean and just fast lol.

[@readysetmoses]

I just saw a world record last night.

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

Probably the only one. Tokyo had multiple world records

[@traytyler9951]

@@Redwhiteblue-gr5emTokyo had mutiple better polls and the testing is more straight for Paris than Tokyo

[@lisawhittaker5680]

@@readysetmoses yeah a dodgy one.

[@AlexRiding6]

If Taylor Swift performed there, surely that's the reason for the slow times. Little things in the world are not related to Taylor, this can't be an exception.

[@RM-yf2lu]

The food probably has WEF bug flour too

[@seedsoflove7684]

Well, she attracts losers, so....😂

[@nic7100]

I've observed this over the years, that so much hard work is done, then at the last fence the athletes have little or no control over their environment and sub-optimal performances are the result. So disappointing for them.

[@philippeandrieu5198]

Et bien oui ce sont des JO à Paris et non dans un lieu aseptisé et purement fonctionnel. Les Jeux Olympiques traduisent un état d’esprit et un état d’être .Tellement heureux que Paris ait une âme . ❤

[@WebReels]

The top athletes stayed in hotels. However, the nutrition program for the athletes is geared toward being green and environmentally sustainable. The lack of AC in the buses and the high humidity are an issue as well.

[@ElephantEarsPress]

Ariarne Titmus swam way, way slower than her World Record 200m freestyle set in June. This is probably why. She has complained about the village and when I saw the bed set-up I could see why. It looked like a joke. The set up ridiculous. Now, hot buses? I'm all for saunas just maybe not just before an event.

[@FaresKsebati]

💯

[@user-fd1mv8dl9q]

I thought the point of the Olympics was competition. If everyone is on a level playing field, the results are fair. Someone famously said that time is relative. It truly is. 🙂

[@CristinaDirnea]

Also some of the swimmers had COVID before the Olympics and couldn't train well and this just adds up to the others 😢

[@ianwilliamrobertson]

Peaty had COVID during his attempt ... Certainly can't have helped either.

[@mariabaker9175]

if a lot of athletes in other sports are also doing worse than expected i would say it’s the village if it’s just swimmers then it’s the pool

[@juanjaviercabrero]

Look at the men’s final breast stroke times and you will understand. The fastest was a 59.03. It was surprising to not see anybody hit 58 at this level of competition. Still a great race with an uncommon finish. 🎉

[@FaresKsebati]

Yup yup! Checkout the video. That's the example I used.

[@juanjaviercabrero]

@@FaresKsebatiI have also read a couple of complaints that pool is really wavy. There seems to be a lot of turbulence within lanes.

[@NRClips3414]

​@@juanjaviercabrerothat's because it's an entire meter more shallow than normal Olympic pools.

[@kirogurl]

I don't know, Summer MacKintosh is setting WR's just fine.

[@kerwinhynes5047]

so guess that the athletes will need to train for these environments in future games, as the new bench mark for facilities and services has been set.

[@FaresKsebati]

I think we’re going to see more and more world records happen outside the Olympics and less during the actual games as we’ve seen in the past.

[@user-wh8yo6ku2e]

Wait. So 13 million meals for 10,000 athletes over 14 days. Wow they are eating 93 meals a day. No wonder they are slow.

[@gregnewton3004]

Thanks for this . I think its a combination of everything you've mentioned. Interesting to see what happens for the rest of the competition and on the track

[@paulpaulsen3357]

You are right, except the temporary pool (main swimming pool) is not on the right where you displayed it, but on the left of the Olympic village, it is called the Arena center and is located where you have your incrusted video

[@cristibaluta]

Ok so it seems it was not the pool height, a world record was just broken at 100m

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

The only one. And Pan’s drugs were so effective that it overcame the pool issues.

[@ecneb]

I am not sure what is the issue. Are gold, silver, and bronze medals still being won? It is not about setting world records. It is about winning medals. World records are nice, but I would rather win the medal.

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed! The racing has been incredible. Swimming is a time based sport, so it is (normally) easy to compare times to gauge performance. In this Olympics it’s a lot harder to do that

[@kimwiser445]

No air conditioning on the bus, no air conditioning in the rooms, unless you bring your own. Trying to push vegetarian food and running out of meat. What could go wrong?

[@FaresKsebati]

I guess we’ll see what the total impact is at the end of the games, but I think we’re getting a preview

[@bpxl53yewz29]

Most of the countries in the swim brought their own AC units for their athletes, so that shouldn’t be a factor.

[@jeremymestizo4834]

The food was a surprise to me. I went to a Ryan Lochte class, and he told us they were serving McDonalds, a lot of sweets like ice cream cookies etc. No healthy food to be found. Bro gained 9LBS from going to the Olympics

[@PabloTN72]

Conditions are the same for everyone. they're not designed to give some extra edge for any specific group. So, let's not argue about world records. Enjoy the race.

[@iBlueblack]

That is true. But come on. Records and PB is more glorious than the ranking.

[@FaresKsebati]

Conditions may be equal, but not everyone performs under the same conditions. For example, if (hypothetically) the cafeteria only served one ethnicity of food. That specific ethnicity would be more comfortable than another yet their conditions were the same.

[@andreasandreou1705]

Tell me that you are stupid, without telling me you are stupid 🤣🤣🤣

[@andreasandreou1705]

​@@FaresKsebatiexactly 👍

[@softwarephil1709]

😂​@@iBlueblackIncorrect. Some athletes are staying in hotels or airbnb. Some countries are providing air conditioning. Some countries are providing their own food.

[@TSOMTSOMTSOM]

Paris in the summer is unbearably hot and humid. There is a reason why the Parisians leave and rent their apartments to visitors.

[@mikey6538]

maybe the length of the pool is 51 or 52 meters instead of 50 meters

[@FaresKsebati]

Could you imagine if that was discovered later…

[@lukarus4998]

Swimmers would know it immediately without measuring it. Especially the backstrokers because it would completely mess with their wall approach.

[@jwang2879]

@@lukarus4998 I mean the flag could still be 5 meters out so stroke count wont be screwed over than... But idk, But I do agree, the swimmers would be sus of it just based on "feel"

[@lukarus4998]

@@jwang2879 But that means they would arrive to the flags in a different position with arms (left in front instead of the right, vice versa). Unless the pool would be so much longer that they could make a whole cycle and arrive with the exact expected position to the flags. Also breastrokers and butterfliers would know it immediately, they always count the strokes .

[@ilyam1654]

Hundreed meters 😂

[@tastx3142]

Cardboard beds were used at a previous Olympics, but I don’t recall which one. I just remember an athlete revealing it in a video. I’m sure it was used for convenience and cost, much like people use air mattresses or pull out couches at home for infrequent guests.

[@powcod7455]

I can't wait for the 50m and 100m free that's going to be a dogfight

[@FaresKsebati]

Yes, I am very excited as well!!

[@powcod7455]

@@FaresKsebati the 200m free was really good race too

[@Carusot]

100m freestyle just got obliterated by Pan Zhanle, ahead of competition by a second and broke his OWN record by .4. INHUMANE

[@FaresKsebati]

That’s insane!

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

Yes inhumane because it was spurred by the best most effective drugs.

[@johnedwards230]

Things clearly are sub-optimal here. Peaty didn't hit his best ever time in Tokyo but he was in the ball park within half a second. His form into this was not of that level but he swam a 58.5 in the British trials so its possible sub-optimal conditions in the pool and outside the pool added that on.

[@FaresKsebati]

That entire heat (Men’s 100m breaststroke) was slow. Amazing race, but still weak times. Ever single one of those guys in the final knows they’re capable of so much more.

[@yanus1896]

He swam 57.94 in the English trials...

[@jodytootle3202]

There are a lot of American swimmers whose face turn purple after swimming, are they all asthma patients who use stimulants, therefore being ashamed into angry and deliberately smearing when finding that they can't beat the Chinese athletes?😅

[@excatholic6392]

What no one seems to want to acknowledge here is that this Olympic Games edition has been cursed as the Opening ceremony set the tone for performance.

[@chamuelolivier1594]

another weirdo!

[@charlesroch9461]

6:04 In France it's not a habit to have air conditioning. And fun fact this summer : it's very hot here

[@FaresKsebati]

🥵

[@softwarephil1709]

If you’re from a country where air conditioning is normal, the change will throw you off.

[@NOKOMMUSIC]

Cardboard beds were already used in Tokyo…

[@olgazhdanova]

And? It's sucks anyway. Nobody sleep on this shit in their houses.

[@aungaisum8654]

Maybe for homeless people better 😅

[@maryharvey6909]

Why would they spend so much money on a big opening performance instead of the money to take care of the athletes?

[@canadianbelle87]

I would think the food situation and uncomfortable beds are the two biggest contributors. Being well rested and properly nourished is key to performance and recovery. If the athletes aren't getting enough of either they won't perform at their best.

[@FaresKsebati]

Would love to see how the food compares to prior Olympic village setups

[@touche2653]

The are similar if not better than in tokyo, so is the food.

[@AsianDoug]

Tokyo had similar if not same beds, and athletes had to deal with all the covid shenanigans too which surely would've impacted peak performance.

[@cristibaluta]

How do you know they are uncomfortable? You surely don't think they sleep on the cardboard

[@AsianDoug]

@@cristibaluta there have been a few social media posts from the athletes themselves saying that the mattresses are on the firmer side than they are used to/prefer.

[@irenehabes-quene2839]

One thing to even it all out, it’s the same for all the competitors!

[@ahmetmert84]

Although nobody is talking about this qualifying for an event in the trials are getting harder every year therefore the swimmers make their tapers for the trials just to qualify for the olympics.thats why most of the swimmers are outside of their peak performances.

[@FaresKsebati]

That’s a great point 💯

[@lisawhittaker5680]

@@ahmetmert84 rubbish.

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

It’s primarily the pool. There have been many recent Olympic finals where the swimmers swim their lifetime bests and set multiple world records. This Olympic is unique because most of the swimmers in the finals do not swim lifetime bests. Many are even a second or more off their lifetime bests so it’s not the Olympic village.

[@j4mbi_]

Popovici was wayyy off his best time but still won gold.

[@FaresKsebati]

He made it happen, that was an incredible race

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

Everyone, except dopey Pan, were off their lifetime bests.

[@sage_green05]

I thought the swimming was actually held in La Défense Arena but maybe I was wrong 😅

[@KennethJackson-dp7sm]

I liked the video, but I have to challenge the statistic given. 13 million meals for 10,000 athletes means 1,300 meals per athlete. That would be approximately 100 meals per day over a two week period. I feel this is rather excessive!

[@mrnice111]

Being woke slows you down. Duh.

[@David_1789]

Carrot emojis…

[@wallislahtinen-hicks6935]

So being asleep and unaware makes you faster? I don't think so

[@DeathyAS]

I am so not a professional athlete but i did competitive swimming as a teenager and I have definitely been in pools that have “thick” water where it was near impossible to get a decent speed due to increased water resistance. It’s usually from being improperly ph balanced. I’m just pointing out the US Olympic trials also did a temporary pool in an arena and a couple records were broken so that is so not an excuse.

[@FaresKsebati]

The U.S. Trials pool was insane! (And faster)

[@DeathyAS]

@@FaresKsebatiit really was. There is a behind the scenes video here on KZbin of how it was put up, strict requirements of the water, and then taking it down. Definitely worth the watch. Just wished Paris had watched it as well. We would have better times out of it.

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

US trials pool was much deeper

[@MarrafaProjects]

I love your videos. This thought of yours makes a lot of sense to me. But we have to realise that these conditions are for all athletes.

[@FaresKsebati]

Agreed 💯

[@stevewise1656]

What a mess. You train your whole life for these events and they have to deal with this bs. Some athletes that have money are staying in air conditioned hotels and taking cars to their events. However, only a handful of athletes have the money to pay for hotel rooms even if this wasn't an Olympic year. Cardboard beds and no air?

[@lisaroberts8556]

I know… Am soo angry for these swimmers. All that hard work for this?

[@pigybakapp]

If it's the conditions, how are other sports performing?

[@FaresKsebati]

Good point! We will see (especially events that are time based)

[@touche2653]

They will perform poorly as well, if you want to see HGH and trimetazdine era record be broken, wait for the Enhanced Games bro.

[@AttackTheGasStation1]

​@@touche2653Absolute bullshit

[@Noob4all94]

Well the beds are the same as Tokyo games and nobody said anything about it at that time... If there is condensation on the bus windows it's because it's cold inside and not hot... Especially that it's pretty hot outside actuall, above 30°c. The food...well as mentioned is the same every games and everyone knows that the Brits don't know what's good food. Have you tasted their cooking ? 😅

[@johannas.3421]

I don't understand what you are saying here. I dont think a 5min ride in a too hot bus would have such an impact. The cafeteria have been saluted by athletes because there are more healthy options than other olympics with diversity to accord to ethnicities. The cardboard beds are as comfortable as other wood bed (which is harder, wood or cardboard ?) : there is a mattress on top ! The depth of the pool maybe because of the waves but that's it. Maybe the public is also different from what they previously experienced: previous olympics were during covid time so no one were there. And anyway it is a competition between athletes so everyone is in the same boat here. World record are not beaten everyday, and sometimes we should just salute the performance.

[@lisawhittaker5680]

@@johannas.3421 there's only been 1 Olympics during covid so a redundant comment. The extremely thin 'mattress' on the cardboard beds are in 3 pieces that separate easily. I certainly wouldn't expect a decent night's sleep on one. Best the committee members and politicians aren't sleeping on them, nor eating anything less than 5 star using money from the Olympic fund.

[@EightFrancs]

Has to be the waves and current in the pool, having a negative effect on the times.

[@FaresKsebati]

I think that is part of it

[@EightFrancs]

@@FaresKsebati and the fact that one of the swimmers exposed how HOT it is on the transport bus... Proves that the temperature is bothering them.

[@iamspartacus3114]

Very interesting. Times may be slightly slower but the races are still exciting to watch.

[@loadingnewads]

(I’m guessing) the beds are harder than any of the ones they previously slept on.

[@FaresKsebati]

Tough to sleep on a cardboard box and swim fast...

[@valeriehilen2875]

@@FaresKsebatisame beds than Tokyo…

[@MrSegmentfault]

You haven't slept in a Chinese bed yet 😂 it's like sleeping on the floor.

[@loadingnewads]

@@MrSegmentfault my bed is made in china…and it’s as normal as any other beds

[@marcusgibson3899]

@@loadingnewads rubbish, everything chinese is bad.

[@TeeKayFourTwoOne]

“It’s [food, housing, transportation] like this at every Olympics, it’s not geared for fast swimming.” - Ok. So…it’s the pool then.

[@OneUnoEin]

Honestly, if athletes, their families and fans want a 5 star experience, with top notch venues, great food, great hospitality, transport and safety, then let Qatar organise it. People can hate them for not supporting men rawdoging eachother, but objectively they would be a perfect host. Of course I’d say there should be tighter inspection on worker safety, but if they can assure a safe environment for their workers, I’d say let’s go to Qatar. The WC2022 in terms of organisation was the best ever, it pains people to hear but they just have a bit of xenophobic bias playing with their ability to actually look at it objectively.

[@FaresKsebati]

The gulf (UAE or Qatar) would host an incredible Olympics! I have competed in both countries and it was an amazing experience!

[@olgazhdanova]

Middle East, Asia, Russia and America do it best always. Best hosts, best conditions always and best care. ❤

[@user-ll8vx5zz4i]

Leon Marchand broke the Olympic record in his last swim here so I don't know what you are talking about

[@lisawhittaker5680]

@@user-ll8vx5zz4i there have been a lot of Olympic records broken. These are usually much slower than a WORLD RECORD which is what was being talked about. A little basic knowledge or common sense goes a long way.

[@pablobilbao9258]

@@lisawhittaker5680 These pool specifications meet Olympic pool standards and are not intended for world records, don't compare apples to oranges.

[@SlobodanSchumacher]

Dont be rediculous, swimming pool is the problem, nothing else!

[@cloudster9842]

Just shows your ignorance. I'm an amateur athlete and these things even affect me. No way will it have no effect on these top level very finely tuned athletes.

[@officialdamadmanchannel6513]

You didn't watch the video 😂

[@karenm2669]

💯this. Restless sleep or a poor diet over just a couple of days affects my own focus at work and all I do is sit at a desk and talk to people. My performance isn’t being measured in 100ths of a second. The awfulness of Olympic accommodations and food service has astonished me for years.

[@jetw9522]

The most terrible Olympic ever! From the opening ceremony to the Olympic village, the food for the athletes and many other things. A prison cell in the US has a better condition than the rooms in the Olympic Village. They’re making 10 athletes staying in 1 unit without AC and with only 2 bathrooms! That’s ridiculous! The athletes need to eat well and sleep well to compete. I feel really bad for them for being thrown into this kind of condition. Especially for those triathletes who have to swim in that river. Every Parisian knows what’s floating in there🤮

[@CosmicCells]

Can you tell me why its the most terrible olympics ever? And why did you hate the opening ceremony so much? Which took place all around paris and the Seine instead of one single stadium? I dont get it!

[@moussesucree]

Those are the best olympics ever, the venue are amazing, the opening was gorgeous, it's incredibly beautiful!

[@desmondgovender3142]

For the athletes its not,poor living conditiions in olympic village.

[@andreasandreou1705]

Agreed. The worst Olympics EVER.

[@rodwiggs8892]

@@jetw9522 actually you are wrong.

[@BulletBilbo]

It’s making Pan’s world record in the 100m freestyle look even more unbelievable. I know, there are so many doped athletes. But you can’t tell me he isn’t one of them at this point

[@jerryliu7274]

This is kind of random, but do you think Qin and the rest of the Chinese team getting drug tested while sleeping/ drug tested multiple times had an affect on their performances?

[@FaresKsebati]

That’s tricky, we may never know.

[@touche2653]

Must have, and the other are scared shitless from taking trimetazidine now so it affect everyones times. Because the truth is, at Tokyo, they were ALL on tri, not just the chinese.

[@CliveNicolson]

I think the fact that everyone is so uniformly underperforming points pretty directly at the pool itself being the culprit. Every country who takes swimming seriously has sports scientists and monetary resources to overcome external factors like aircon and bedding: the Australian team brought in their own chefs, portable aircon units and memory foam mattresses, as did the Americans - no chance they’d let something as trivial as that jeopardise their medal count. The only thing I’m finding hard to compute is what exactly it is about the pool that is so damn slow. I’m convinced it’s not the shallow depth since the Australian trials were swum in a pool built in the ‘80s that is also 2m deep end-to-end and Mollie and Ariarne both went under the 200 Free WR in that pool, as well as all the other swims from that meet that gave WRs a rattle. Atm I’m thinking something about the chemical make up of the water or some sort of water current oversight. The fact that opening splits have actually been up to scratch, with front-end favouring swimmers fading more notably than usual might point us in the right direction in my opinion

[@CliveNicolson]

Strangely though, it’s the same company, Myrtha, that built the US trials pool (which was quick) and the Paris pool. Maybe the same constraints that meant they couldn’t build the pool deeper has also led to alterations in their pool design elsewhere, possibly in such a way they had to come up with alternative engineering solutions that negatively impact several factors that influence how quick a pool is 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@UltraFunky50000]

the olympics is designed for “inclusiveness” and “”low foot print” but the organization seem to have forgotten the athletes needs in the process , what a shame

[@lisawhittaker5680]

@@UltraFunky50000 except when it comes to schmoozing celebrities, IOC members and politicians.......no expensespared then. Bet they are living it up 6 star.

[@alicejyi4705]

in short, cheap !

[@haozheng5149]

Molière and Eugénie Grandet are both French. However, the Olympic Committee, including member countries and sponsors from China and the United States, has paid the full amount to France. Maybe Molière and Eugénie Grandet are still alive.😂😂😂

[@Kate-qq3ez]

This is bs, a wr was done today.

[@Redwhiteblue-gr5em]

The only one. And Pan’s drugs were so potent that it overcame the slow pool.

[@pierremacb4668]

yeah .. in Beijing the pool was too slow as well, there was too much red everywhere it was disturbing

[@PierceINC]

Qin was 57 because he was on dope

[@yougohgoh1]

If he is dopping and the organiser fails to test it after the race, whose problem is this? The athletic or the system? Use your brain before taking

[@PierceINC]

@@yougohgoh1 I blame the cheater. Learn how to spell. Use your brain before writing.

[@yougohgoh1]

@@PierceINC don’t simply accuse if you have no proof, every winner in the competition will be tested after the race, so what is the problem here? Just show me the proof, if not why don’t you raise the complaint to WADA who carries out the test? Why not they shut down the organisation since it is not effective in finding the dopping athletic?

[@peterdavis3878]

I have noticed that there is a lot more strategic racing happening than is usual - that is looking for the win over the time.

[@FaresKsebati]

Amazing racing so far!!

[@misheltv23]

great vid

[@FaresKsebati]

Thanks for tuning in!!

[@ireneserrano4570]

Woow same exact rooms and beds as the ones they had in Beijing Olympics, with automatic beds, AC, loads of space, wardrobes, amazing food

[@claudeloi]

According to numerous complaints, I believe the quality standard supplied by the French Olympic committees is very unacceptable, sub standard (food quality, lodging, accommodations like AC to name a few). It will hurt them seriously in the future (added woke attack against Christianity)

[@Difdauf]

There is nearly no AC in France. this is one of the reason why energy consumption per capita is less than half than in the US. So maybe people should stop complaining about lack of AC and learn to live like decent human beings.

[@duqial]

It's a norm in Europe to not have AC so yeah people can and most live without it. As for others I think it depends on the athlete bcs I have seen some saying all is good and then there are few that make it seem horrible maybe for clout is my guess as the Olympics are held very similarly to the previous ones. The one thing they messed up is placement of the village compared to the venues and imo the pool was a mistake