South Korean Swimmers Move Out Of Village Amid Transportation Woes

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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.