By Ian Ransom PARIS (Reuters) – With a pair of baristas churning out coffees and a rooftop terrace for social gatherings, Australia’s quarters at the Olympic village embody the social spirit of a Paris Games unencumbered by COVID-19 restrictions. Strict health protocols sucked the fun out of the summer Games in Tokyo and Beijing’s winter Games as masked athletes were forced to keep their distance. But on a balmy Tuesday afternoon, thousands of athletes and staff roamed the Olympic village freely, mingling at cafes and swapping souvenir pins.
Two of Australia’s water polo athletes tested positive for COVID, the national Olympic committee said on Tuesday, with one not well enough to train. But it did nothing to kill the buzz around the delegation’s accommodations where athletes were treated to a “Taco Tuesday” by a food sponsor. “We’re comfy, got good food, good coffee, it’s a good setup,” Australian field hockey player Blake Govers told Reuters as he soaked up the sunshine with a teammate.
In a cosy arrangement, Australia are set up next door to the small delegations of a number of neighbouring Pacific nations. Athletes who rise early enough are treated to a choir of Fijian rugby sevens players greeting the new day by belting out a song in splendid harmony. “They tend to start around 6:30 a.
m.,” said an Australia team staffer. “No-one’s bothered by it .
.. It just sounds beautiful.
” Team Netherlands, Australia’s neighbour on the other side, pro.