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I'm An Olympian — Here Are 17 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From The Olympics You'd Never Expect

By Elizabeth Swaney,

6 hours ago

In 2018, I competed in the Winter Olympics. From a 24-hour all-you-can-eat dining hall, to hanging out with all your old and new friends, to chocolate medals, and thousands of condoms, here are some of the experiences from life at the Olympics and inside the Olympic Village.

1. We get free clothes and luggage, all in one country’s color scheme.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=29HJdO_0uWkZXUJ00 — Many Olympians refer to the “Kit Day” as one of the happiest days of their lives. Before flying out to the Olympic city, we receive many sweaters and jackets, lots of shirts, socks, towels, and even suitcases in our country’s colors.
At the Olympic Village, it then becomes easier to identify where everyone is from as everyone’s dressed in flag colors with the name of their country in big letters on their chest or back. Receiving all the gear for free is a delight as over the years, the costs of winter sports clothing, along with other expenses like coaching, traveling, and more can add up!
Kit Day is also where we meet many of our country’s athletes from different sports for the first time. As I was the only freestyle skier for Hungary and mostly trained in Utah, before that day, I had not yet met the other Olympic team athletes from Hungary, including the alpine skiers, cross-country skiers, speed skaters, and figure skaters.
Elizabeth Swaney

2. We get to know 15 people pretty well.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=01v9WF_0uWkZXUJ00 — Even before the Olympics, and especially for the first week, you’ll be around your country’s athletes and officials a lot. I traveled from Hungary to Korea, with a long layover in Dubai, with 15 people I had just met. After landing in Seoul and then collecting our massive amounts of luggage (skiers need a lot of gear) we traveled three hours through the Korean countryside to PyeongChang to get to the Olympic Village. At the Olympic Village, you’ll enjoy meals together, stay in the Olympic dorms together, and enjoy other activities.
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

3. If there’s a heaven, it would be like the Olympic dining hall.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4HaXlt_0uWkZXUJ00 — The dining hall is everyone’s favorite place. You can talk to any coach or athlete, and nearly everyone is friendly. We can also eat whatever we want 24 hours a day and choose between 20+ dining stations.
The Olympic dining hall is the central meeting area at the Olympic Village. Everyone is wearing their country jackets so it’s easy to find and talk to people from all around the world. Sometimes I would walk in and think, “Hey, I want to have breakfast with the French team today”, or “I’m going to enjoy dessert with team Japan”. Nearly everyone is relaxed and happy to enjoy the time between training and competitions.
In addition to being with my fellow athletes from Hungary a lot, the dining hall was also a great place to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Before freestyle skiing, I also competed internationally in skeleton (headfirst down a bobsled track), so I loved catching up with my skeleton and bobsled friends around the world. In the picture above, I am hanging out with my Monaco bobsled team friends.
Elizabeth Swaney

4. Apart from medals, pins are the most valuable currency at the Olympic Village.

5. The tent/waiting area before the Opening Ceremonies is a cool hang-out place.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=08ntvd_0uWkZXUJ00 — Imagine the biggest tent you've seen in your life, and under it, thousands of Olympic athletes and officials are waiting a few hours to march. To pass the time and burn off some energy, we all chat, exchange stories, and trade pins. We can't stray too far away from our country, because we'll need to get in line for the parade of nations. Once we do start going around the Olympic track that holds the ceremonies, people in the crowds are cheering, and it's all waves and smiles. It's the moment many athletes have dreamt of for most of their lives.
All countries parade in alphabetical order based on the host country's language. Since "Hungary" was towards the end of the Korean alphabet, we paraded right in front of the host country, Korea, so it was exciting to hear a lot of cheers. During the opening ceremonies, the athletes and officials from South and North Korea paraded together, so I thought it was cool to experience that historic moment next to me.
The Olympic ceremony itself is a spectacular show. There are drones, fireworks, dances, and excited athletes all around. Plus, it feels like all the television cameras in the world are watching.
Elizabeth Swaney

6. We’re given a cool bed with stuffed animals .

7. Condoms are more plentiful than medals.

8. Everyone receives a free phone.

9. Countries share coaches.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1fF9zB_0uWkZXUJ00 — Each athlete can take one coach to the Olympics, but I didn't have one, so I gave my coach allocation to the Hungarian speedskating team. My friends Nicholas Vienneau and Allen Blackwell, skeleton coaches, offered to coach and support me. I previously trained with Allen and Nick in skeleton, which we all competed in intentionally before, and they ski too. It's common for small nations (countries with one or few athletes in a sport) to share coaches both during the Olympics and World Cup circuit.
Elizabeth Swaney

10. There’s a town center with a hair salon, nail salon, souvenir shop, and more.

11. Athletes can receive free dental and medical care.

12. Athletes can be drug tested at anytime.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4QAgaj_0uWkZXUJ00 — Each athlete must document approximately where they will be while at the Olympic Village every day, and can be drug tested at any time. Even before and after the Olympics, drug testing possibilities are often a part of an athlete’s routine, so this isn’t too far from normal.
Pnpkk / Getty Images

13. Sometimes more than one Olympic Village exists at the same Olympics.

14. There are lots of activities to do at the Olympic Village.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0GpmcF_0uWkZXUJ00 — Apart from having gyms at the Olympic Village and an amazing dining hall, lots of activities are provided for Olympians. These include a photo booth, a hangout room with video games and televisions, and more. Here I am with some of my Hungarian teammates and officials.
Elizabeth Swaney

15. Anything can happen to anyone, and I surprisingly rocketed to a few weeks of fame.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Fp6fM_0uWkZXUJ00 — I finished 24th at the Olympics in women’s freestyle ski halfpipe, and somehow that became a huge media story. I even got coverage in BuzzFeed! A few days after my competition, I got thousands of emails, phone calls, and texts, and I couldn't possibly answer all of them. The Today Show managed to get a hold of me as I was coming back from visiting Seoul with an Olympic group. I was super tired but agreed to do it. My favorite part of the interview was highlighting my amazing fellow competitors in women's and men's freestyle ski halfpipe.
Jim Shea / Via facebook.com

16. The Olympics can be for anyone, one is never too old.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2SxVNp_0uWkZXUJ00 — In my discipline, women's ski halfpipe, the range of athletes was 16-33! Some Olympians in other disciplines were even older. So, you're never too old to pursue your goals or too young to create goals. Watch the Olympics in Paris and start dreaming!
Jacques Julien / Getty Images

17. And finally, after the Olympics, life is never normal again.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=34vqGi_0uWkZXUJ00 — Once an Olympian, always an Olympian!
Elizabeth Swaney

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