I am ANON 2x Olympic Athlete who has attended Beijing, Pyeongchang and RIO (Official). Ask me anything... even the controversial things

How much banging is actually happening?

So it's certainly varied because of COVID, and most winter Olympics have two villages.

I can confirm that in RIO, it was FUUUUCKED! I got lucky a lot in Pyeongchang, but Covid, hampered that ability. I got laid once, but most people didn't even bother to see each other because of COVID.

Also, most Olympians who were married, engaged or had S/O DEFINITELY CHEATED!

Did you hear anything about the Vancouver Olympics where they had to rush in an emergency truckload of condoms halfway through the event?

I'm sure that would fill people with a sense of pride. It's like when the bar has to close early because they've run out.

Yes.. that also happened in Pyeongchang

How much are sexual favors forced by "coaches"?

This is an odd question, but not really anymore

I know in past it was thing and legally a lot of people went to jail.

It depends on the Olympics.

In summer there is a lot because everyone is in one village, but in the winter is a different story. It definitely happens and I had a few experiences in Pyeongchang.. Beijing not so much due to COVID

Besides doping and PEDs, what are other methods of cheating that athletes can identify that would not be readily apparent to the average viewer?

After the Russian scandal, WADA and ITA are on everyone's ass so it's hard to cheat now!

In my sport, doping isn't really a thing, but I do some athletes that pretended to have a medical condition so they can get a TUE (therapeutic usage exemption) and take certain prohibited drugs. Adderall is one

Every time a top athlete is caught using PED’s it seems like it has been an open secret and “everyone knew”. Are there many athletes that “everyone knew” was taking that got away with it and never got caught?

10000000% Percent

A 3x Olympic medalist from china just got banned and everyone knew he was on PED

Any interesting stereotypes about the personalities of people across various sports?

Curling dudes are hella aggressive

Are there social hierarchies among the sports/sport categories? Like you get more clout if you're from one kind of sport (say, swimming) vs another (say, gymnastics).

Always wondered this cos I saw these attitudes among school athletes and figured it might translate to the greatest stage too.

Yes!

I dated an equestrian, and the toxicity and money power are unbelievable in that sport. Her friends and family looked down on mine on my sport. I know figure skaters and other very posh sports can be that way. In my sport, I noticed that if you do not come from money (eg: making +400k/YEAR), nobody talks to you. It's disappointing

Does training and competing allow you to have a normal career or personal life? I guess, what happens when the body doesn’t want to compete anymore? How does an Olympian plan for that?

This will be a long-winded answer, but I have struggled a lot with something called a post-Olympic crash and attempted suicide before my first games. There are not a lot of resources available right now for athletes transitioning out of the sport, and you have to put a lot of things on the backburner. Many of my relationships (including an engagement) have failed because of it, and I didn't even get my high school certification until 20.

Mentally though I am in a better place and have an excellent triving career outside my sport, I also have very supportive systems and made sure that was in place before I tried again for another Olympics. I also finished two undergraduate degrees before Beijing, and I am working on my master's now. Just so I am prepared for the future and know I can have a life if things don't work out.

I've heard a lot about this, even met a guy who counsels former athletes. A neighbor was a pro snowboarder, talks openly about being suicidal, substance abuse, etc. He says the flow state is the best drug. Hard to kick.

The dopamine rush and then the sudden withdrawal is fucked. I spent two weeks in a dark room and refused to go outside after my first Olympics. Not a very good place to be in

Jesus, I was in the Olympic Developmental Program for soccer in the early aughts and this hits home so hard. I gave up so much so early for a shot at playing at the highest level of American soccer and once it was over I had nothing. The skills that I learned while training for soccer are only useful for playing soccer. There are some soft skills that generalize into other areas of my life, but for the most part I gave up the first 18 or so years of my life for a sport that I haven't played for at least 10 years.

After a lot of therapy and a lot of introspection, I can say that I wouldn't do it any differently. Having said that, I wish that I had found therapy about 10 years earlier because that would have changed a lot for me. I have a successful career and am happy, but I lost 2 years of my life to depression and I won't ever get that time back. Athletics at the highest level are amazing but like most things that time comes to an end and you have to reckon with what comes next.

Thank you for sharing this.. this made me tear up.

It's a real thing, and not a lot of talk about it and it's something I wish to work on in the future with other athletes.

write a book, sounds like an interesting life.

Working on it

Do you find athletes of your calibre tend to commit that hard to other fields after sports?

They latch on to whatever is next, hoping it will replace what they lost. I can speak from experience that I latched on to many things to replace that void and got even more hurt.

I do think that these skills that you learn have a beneficial affect on your career later on if you enter the corporate world

Rough estimate on the percentage of athletes using PEDs?

80%

What's the vibe of the olympic village? Are people happy and excited to be there or nervous and terrified?

For many first Olympians, being in the environment can be overwhelming and nerve-racking. But most people are very outgoing and happy.. the ones who are not are usually the ones who do poorly

How corrupt is the officiating across sports? Are some worse than others (eg figure skating or gymnastics)?

Figuring skating, I hear, is worse because the top countries use bribes for judging criteria. In freestyle skiing, coaches will go to the judges and show videos of them training to create bias, so they're judged on their perceived capabilities rather than the actual event.

The Americans and russians are the worse at this especially for figure skating and most often than not, the Americans are the ones who call foul at everything!

Is the IOC just mafia with a coat of sports-washing?

IOC is definitely pretty corrupt!

A lot of bribery happens and this whole political neutrality is honestly BS! They know what's going on, but refuse to even talk about it.

Do athletes competing in winter sports travel over the equator to train during their countries' warmer seasons?

Yes.. especially in winter sports some athletes will go to south america or new zealand to train.

Is it easy to become an official if you have attended previous olympics as an athlete?

Yes, depending on your networking abilities with people and how well-known you're in your sport. I am like D-level Olympic status, but I made some connections

Can you describe your opening ceremony experiences?

Anything you missed the first go round that you made sure to the next time?

The first one was nerve-racking and couldn't really fathom the experience

The second time around, I was more outgoing and had a blast! I just remember to be in the moment and not overthink

What was a normal day like while participating in the Olympics? Before and after competing.

Wake up early in the morning Do stretching and warmup prep Go train or explore the village Come back train again Eat, sleep, recovery and then sleep

After competing Lots of just fuckery until i got my flight out of the country

Would you care to go a little in depth about "the fuckery" after competing? Not necessarily what you did (unless you have some good stories, but what you were aware of happening.

I convinced some locals on Reddit to smuggle alcohol into the village and got a few bottles of rum. Downed it before watching aerials in the freezing cold and got a China jacket and flag from someone. The American officials clearly did not like me at all because I clearly was not Chinese

How nerve-wracking is it being in the Olympics? If you’re there, you’re obviously used to competing on a large stage, but still, I gotta imagine there are some butterflies, right?

I was shitting brick.. especially at the first Olympics. As soon as it was my time to go, I saw the camera pan on me and knew thousands if not millions were watching me, and the last thing I wanted to do was fuck up.

And did you fuck up? :)

Nope :)

Did you win a medal?

Potentially ;)

To compete at an Olympic level, did you and/or your teammates take steroids or performance enhancing drugs?

Edit: fixed typos

I contemplated it, but I am on the top level for testing so I don't even want to consider that option.

Definitely, some people in my sport took it and won medals. Even one athlete was forced to retire, or he would have been outed in the media. He made a deal with the IOC and WADA due to his status.

Why would they offer him a deal as opposed to holding him accountable?

I believe many people were involved, and it would have caused humiliation and harm to the sports program in that country. That sport is pretty much their bread and butter event, and the government spends +10mil on their program if not even more during Olympic cycle.

It must be pretty frustrating to compete amidst so much politics, corruption and peds. How do you deal with that and manage the resentment and stress? Especially considering you and all athletes pretty much devote your lives to your sport.

I don't have good answers except let your work show for itself and chug along. Nearly did not go to these Olympics because some people in my federation tried pulling off some political BS

Whats the biggest scandals you know about inside the Olympic villages?

Athletes that weren't covid positive, but the Chinese gouvernment forced them into quarantine hotels

Vincent

DING DING DING

What’s your favorite pin/memorabilia you have gotten from other athletes? That’s always my favorite tradition I see where all the athletes trade around in the village.

That's really hard to answer because everyone had cool pins. Team Canada had a variety, but the smaller countries carried some uniqueness and rarity to them. So I have to say if you collected from those smaller countries, those are very valuable

Have you seen Olympic Athletes use Marijuana?

Freestyle skiers use it all the time! My teammates as well use edibles. I have done it before, but it's not for me!

When freestyle skiing was put into the Olympics, they lowered the limit and it's only tested for in competition.

Would you say that some athletes actively sought high ranking officials to try and ensure they'd get better points? If we turn it around: were there officials that sollicited this to athletes?

On a lighter note: what has been your best memory from the games?

Oh yes! There was a whole controversy about the quota allocations for alpine skiing and the bigger nations went complained so they could get more spots in the Olympics after the allocation quotes were filled.

That's a hard one to answer because everything was so memorable. The food, the athletes, the flight, etc. Opening ceremonies were really fucking cool

Do you feel that your performance has declined significantly (age, drive, etc)? Or that the next generation has pushed the boundaries further? Or a mixture of both?

Or do you feel just as competitive today as you did when you were younger?

A mixture of both!

Mentally and physically I am at my best even though I am not considered young in my sport anymore, but the boundaries have been pushed further.

Best memory of the Olympics? And worst memory of the Olympics?

Best memory:

Being able to hug my family and friends after my Olympic event in the stands. Particularly my mom who was there and held me when I busted in tears

Worse memory:

Dealing with the media pressure and also have been yelled by a journalist from AP for not giving him a min of my time after my event because I was emotionally and mentally in a bad place.

What are the amenities like at the village? Is it like a 5-star hotel or better? Do you have butlers?

No butlers, but each country has NOC assistance to help. On top of that, countries will bring assistance to cater to the needs of athletes.

We have a 24/7 food court, 24/7 gym, fast food restaurant, hair salon, games room, medical office, massage therapist, coffee shop, etc

Definitely not luxury by any stretch. The rooms in Rio were somewhere between 1-2 star hotel. Definitely a rush job with tons of corruption thrown in. My 4-person suite was definitely supposed to have two bathrooms but they must have run out of time or money because they just left the unfinished wiring and plumbing for the second bathrooms exposed.

NotSherman

Nice to meet another fellow olympian.. :)

It’s late at night and you’re hungry, where are you going and what are you ordering?

Probably a big mac and fries from McDonalds.. depending on where I am in the world at the time, but I'll usually settle for a bag of chips.

What do you look forward to the most in 2023?

Probably finishing up my master's and getting some cash flow in so I don't have to stress about finances. Had to fork up about 70k for my last olympic cycle and I just paid that off in full last month

Where do you get $70k for an Olympic Training cycle? Is the Olympics only open to rich/connected people?

Software consulting, sponsorships and also borrowing. Most of it was borrowed from the bank, but I relied on my parents in the past. Won't lie; I come from an affluent background so money has never been an issue for me.

This is true for most sports. Even sponsorships require networking that most often comes from wealth, unless they’re just that remarkable that people leap at them

That is the one thing that I absolutely despise now about Olympic sports

Which sport produces the most crazies?

AHAHAHA!

This is tough, but I am going to say the crazies come from all the sports, to be honest. A lot of high-caliber athletes are socially and mentally a bit fucked IMO. I know I am definitely a different breed.

How fun was it to pick up all the Olympic merch? Did you walk off with armfuls of it? You can’t really wear it when you get home, though.

It was pretty cool!

I came to China with three bags and left with 8.. way too much shit

So like how does have sex at Olympic village work? Do you just go around looking for other people to get with?

The community is small, so you get to know other people and then hit it off. Pin exchanging helps the conversations.

Dating app are a thing too in the village, but unfortunately NBC ruined that for everyone when they outed people on instagram.

At what age did you realize that your skills, in whatever your sport is, were good enough to perhaps make the Games. When did you make it a goal and adjust trading to achieve it?

I started getting good at my sport around 12 and probably around 16-17 when I started cracking some good results. I was close to qualifying for Sochi, but I fucked up on qualifications and didn't realize what an opportunity I was wasting. After that, I hammered down and started doing the groundwork. Put school and everything on the back burner to qualify for Pyeongchang. Even moved thousands of miles away from home to get the best training.

What does your training regime look like leading up to the Olympics? Do you go harder or do you maintain the same program you used during regular competition?

It is tapered.. so as I do approach the Olympics I will increase the volume and then back off when I am at the games to allow my body to recover.

Off-season training is 6x/week and 3-4hr sessions

I've always sort of been curious, what do athletes at this level do after they've peaked? Obviously can't maintain at a top performing level for the rest of your life and keep going to the Olympics forever, but do people move on to just regular jobs or do they typically stay involved and get into coaching, giving private lessons, consulting for equipment manufacturers, etc?

Some people return to school and get their education before starting their careers. Others find themselves by coaching or doing other things to be involved in their sport. It's a really hard position to be in, and I am currently struggling.

Some go down a really bad path, including a friend of mine who's incarcerated at the moment. Suicide has also been a growing discussion amongst other athletes

Do events ever get fixed? Athletes getting paid to let others win or stuff like that

This is an interesting question because some athletes had "positive" covid results in some sports where they were the medal contenders. My two cents were that china tampered with the results so these athletes wouldn't compete.

Is it actually worth it going to the Olympics? Do you feel satisfied with your accomplishments?

Yes and no!

After Pyeongchang, I struggled to find satisfaction in my performance and understand what I sacrificed to get where I was. I Lost a lot of time with friends, family, and education and even ended an engagement because of the Olympics.

Beijing was a different story, and I definitely feel happy about things and more fulfilled. But straining finances, lack of education and other factors make it difficult so it's not for everyone. The benefits career-wise once you're done outweigh the cost IMO.

Was the actual event as good as the anticipation? I’ve always wondered if this is sort of like a HS Prom…..the lead up & the mental image of what it’ll be like is usually very different than the real life experience. I suppose the athletic event & the overall Games (trip, parade, living conditions, etc) might be different.

In the moment, Pyeongchang was horrible for me but looking back it was absolutely amazing! Everything about it went and I was happy about things.

Beijing was ruined for many I believed because of COVID, but personally I though it was a really good experience. I couldn't do the things that I did in Rio or Pyeongchang, but the atmosphere was just as electric.

I have personally met an Olympian that later became a judge for their sport. They said the scores are 100 percent behind the scenes politics, and someone would have to screw up royally to face a low score if they were supposed to win. Your thoughts?

Very true.. but I am not in a judge sport so I cannot speak on it too much but I have friends in these sports and they often talk about how unfair it is.

Look to the Vancouver 2010 mogul situation if you want to understand things a bit better

How much money do you have ot spend competing every year as an athlete?

On average probably 50-60k EUR

What kind of tech have you worked on that related to your athletic work?

I build a program tracking software for my fitness program.. that's about it.

Are there Olympic orgies? Have you been involved in them?

Not, but there definitely was threesome happening in the village

Any regrets from choosing such a disciplined path in life? If you could have a do-over, would you have chosen a different route and done something else?

My original plan was to do one Olympics and retire after Sochi. I was planning on getting my degree in mechanical engineering, but that fell out the window when I failed to qualify for the Olympics. Despite the pain and emotional distress this has caused, I wouldn't change anything. I do not think I would have been happily working a 9-5 and getting white picket fence life.

How does prostitution work in the villages, if at all? I hear they bus in prostitutes to service the tourists but do the athletes partake?

AHAHA!

Okay, so this didn't happen in China, but it did happen in Pyeongchang. The Italians got caught for trying to smuggle prostitutes into the village, and some of them were sent home. As far as tourist, I know when I was in Seoul, it was very very busy at some of the brothels I walked by at night.

Is it hard to socialise with other Olympians not in your teams, because they might all be too focused on keeping “eyes on the prize”?

Not really, tbh.. most of them are pretty nice and offer advice when needed!

What secret you would share that can vastly improve one's capabilities if followed?

Your mental fortitude and strength will outweigh your body during any situation... didn't understand that for a very long time. If you put in your mind and stick to it, it will happen.

how much suspicion of drug cheating is there within the Olympic Village?

are there some athletes (you don't have to name names) whom lots of people think are cheating? How about countries?

China, Russia and most eastern European countries are dopping their athletes. I wouldn't be surprised if the US and Canada also had programs. Wada and ITA made it very clear about doping procedures, which was hard to avoid in the village. They woke me up at 5am for a mandatory drug test and did the same for a lot of athletes.

Were there any physical fights/brawls that broke out in the village?

In Beijing nope, but yes a fight did break out in Pyeongchang with a Russian and Canadian bobsleigh coach.

Any x-rated stories from the Olympic Village?

Had a MFM and I know a guy that had a MFFF

Do you get recognized as an olympian?

Also is there a country or region who does NOT take part in the dilly dallying?

Most often I do not get recognized

North korea did not show up for the last two olympics and got sanctioned by the IOC

If you are unlucky enough to proceed further into the Games, are you allowed to stick around to spectate or enjoy the events? Or must you immediately pack and fly back to home?

Are you allowed to even leave the Athletes village at all??

You're allowed to leave the athlete's village at any time, but during Beijing, we were in a strict bubble. We could only go to venues and other villages.. not venturing into the city or town, which was very unfortunate because they built so many fantastic attractions.

Most athletes leave after the competition, and for Beijing, they had to leave within 48hrs. I was selected to be in the closing ceremonies, so I had to stay.

give the stories or a couplenof hookups in Olympic village...which sports are the most "active"?

I was in the dining hall, and a lady sat down next to me and asked for a pin. We started chatting, and then she walked back with me to my place and into my room. Not many words were exchanged during this walk; I only thought she was going to the same building. It was alright.. not the best, tbh.

And then, in Pyeongchang, I matched with someone over an app, and we went out for drinks. She asked for a threesome with a friend and me.. and we laughed, thinking it was a joke. It then happened!

In terms of sports, pretty much every sport is active! Just not the overtly well-known athletes because they're too focused

How does an olympic entry get funded? Like how much is out of your own pocket? Is it an expensive lifestyle?

As mentioned below, I paid close to 70k to qualify for the Olympics. I got reimbursed the cost after the games through sponsorships and endorsement deals. On average, I pay something like 50-60k EUR/year now.

Some high caliber athletes get everything paid for, but it is an expensive lifestyle. Training isn't cheap

Where do you actually get to practice runs around a track or other events? I’m assuming that they don’t have lots of 400m tracks locally to the athlete village to let everyone run at the same time. So what do you do? Take scheduled shifts?

They have a track near the athlete village and many facilities available to meet the needs of different sports.

Time slot are needed for booking though

Do you think the Olympics should be held in a few set rotating cities, or have them keep going as it is right now? Bids to host seem to keep declining year after year.

Rotating the cities would be economically and politically wise. Beijing did a great job using the resources, but many countries Post Olympics, do not use their facilities and shut them down. It's costly and wasteful because it can benefit the economy.

What ridiculous thing would you like to see as an Olympic sport? Like, I'd like to see Duck Duck Goose.

They need to bring back ski ballet

Do you get paid to be an Olympian? If so roughly how much? I’m assuming the gold medalist get way more but what about not even placing in the podium ?

My country will pay money depending on the tier of medal earned.. you could earn a significant amount if you win.

I made about 40k EUR after these games in endorsements.. but some countries will pay close to 300k EUR

[deleted]

Absolutely the fuck not!

Who do you think you're fucking with that kind of topping on a pizza

Are Olympic athletes better in bed than the general population? Also related do you think athletes are hornier? Any difference between male and females?

Hornier yes.. my libido is quite fucked ngl

Ummm.. that's a tough question because I feel that the groupies I slept with were probably better than the Olympic athletes.

Have you been.. hurrying hard…. Through these questions..?

Yup!

As a man of God myself i believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior of my life He has helped me completely change my life around and many people say that they don’t believe in God but i know God exists. So my question is do you believe in God as a 2x Olympic athlete?

I am agnostic