Hello Reddit,

I am an athlete who attend the Winter Olympic games in PyeongChang, South Korea. I was in Korea from Feb.2-Feb.27 and attended both the opening and closing ceromonies. I competed in two events and attended several other events as a spectator.

These were my first Winter Olympics Games, and I got to first-hand witness some incredible moments and hang out with some of the best athletes in world. Yes, I met the shirtless Tonga guy and had drinks with Donald Trump and Kim Jung-Un impersonators. I also got to see some shady and controversial things that may or may not have been mentioned in the media.

So here am I ready to answer some of your burning questions and give you an insider glimpse of the Olympic experience (Yes I will answer some of the controversial ones). I have chosen to remain anonymous and have submitted my Verification to the Mods.

I'm expecting an overload of question so please be patient as I will try to answer all your questions.

Edit 1: Hey guys, thanks for all your questions. I'm going to step away and grab some lunch. I'll be back later this evening.

Edit 2: Hello Redditors, thanks for all your great questions! I didn't expect you all to be this curious about the Olympic experience. I am still here answering some questions and will do so until the end of today. I enjoy how some of you are trying to determine my identity. Interesting to see all your theories.

Comments: 7472 • Responses: 73  • Date: 

java_king7983 karma

Do many of the athletes worry about post-Olympic life?

TheSecretOLY12617 karma

Yes! I'm currently in the phase of ”what do I do now?”

worm_wiggler7553 karma

Congratulations on competing in the Olympics! My question is about the Kim Jung Un impersonator. What was the North Koreans reaction to him?

TheSecretOLY12244 karma

They absolutely hated him. He apparently tried to get close to their delegation, and their security detail tackled him.

iamteroras7312 karma

Did the north Koreans stay in the Olympic village?

TheSecretOLY10496 karma

They did indeed! They had a massive flag hanging from their building in the village. They usually kept to themselves and only walked in the town with their delegation and security detail.

Marcellusk6992 karma

So, how much sex were the athletes having with each other? Does it happen as often as people think it does?

TheSecretOLY10492 karma

Surprisingly, no. The media blew it out of proportion. The rooms in the village were not very private, so it was difficult for hook-ups. I did, however, witness some Swiss guy notoriously hang around the rec center picking up chicks every night.

big_redwood6630 karma

What country has the nicest athletes?

TheSecretOLY10835 karma

Norway (except Kristofferson)

Lionknight102153 karma

Why not Kristofferson? Haven't been able to keep up with the news... Did something happen between you guys?

TheSecretOLY6721 karma

Dude had childish tantrums at security guards and told one them to ”fuck off” when they asked to check his bag in the village. I lost a lot of respect when I saw that.

clamdiggin6111 karma

What was the food like? I suspect athletes have pretty strict dietary standards leading up to their events, but if I was there I would want to try out all the local delicacies.

TheSecretOLY7681 karma

They had everything! French fries, pizza, pasta, sushi, etc.! You name it, and they had it available.

calzonius5986 karma

What did the athletes think of the Canadian skier who drunkenly stole a car?

TheSecretOLY6199 karma

Laugh, but also they were appalled. While talking to some of skiers there, they said that there is a drinking/partying culture in Alpine Canada, so they weren’t surprised.

vikinick5713 karma

What were the shady/controversial things you saw?

TheSecretOLY9279 karma

Saw a lot in-team fighting and a fight between a Russian and Canadian athlete.

JarvisFunk6505 karma

I heard a lot of Canadian athletes were pissed that Russia was even allowed to participate at all after the doping scandal. Was this the case?

TheSecretOLY8582 karma

Yeah, there was a lot of shade being thrown at the Russian's from Canada.

BlueCollarCriminal4705 karma

Did you see any serious partying, like lots of booze and irresponsibility? If so, which country's athletes drank the hardest?

TheSecretOLY8755 karma

Oh yeah! On the last night, I went out to the only bar in PyeongChang, and it was packed!! The eastern Europeans and Americans were the hardest partiers.

Saw a few of them walking around piss drunk in the dining hall and harassing the staff there.

Kishara4698 karma

What were the accommodations like? Were they nice or shoddy? Did you feel the games were run well by the host country?

TheSecretOLY7066 karma

The accommodations were pretty average, kinda what you expect for a college dorm room. My room was really big and had a nice view of the village. The Korean definitely put on a good show! All of them were friendly, generous, and always willing to help everyone.

Anonymousolinni4407 karma

Has there been a time where it's almost your turn to go, and since it's cold, you suddenly need to go to the bathroom?

TheSecretOLY4833 karma

Happens all the time

wfroehli4274 karma

How well did the hosts/event organizers manage cultural/language barriers? Did you witness any issues with this?

TheSecretOLY5742 karma

There was some issues as a lot of the volunteers didn't fluently speak English. So at times it was frustrating to talk to them when you had an issue. Overall they were incredibly hard working and always friendly.

letsplaysomeleague4009 karma

Did you see anything you wish you wouldn’t have?

TheSecretOLY8364 karma

If anyone here has a GF/BF that was there at Olympic, high chances that they cheated. Personally knew a handful of athletes that cheated on their partners.

CollegeSharkWeek3614 karma

Did you win?

Are you Shaun White?

TheSecretOLY4057 karma

Nope

ninjew363490 karma

What was your "dating" app of choice for Olympian hookups?

TheSecretOLY7049 karma

Tinder! Everyone staying in the village got upgraded to gold for free. Surprisingly a lot of the athletes shut their account down because ”NBC” had an Instagram page that exposed everyone. So most of the people you matched with were not in Korea and were using the passport feature to match with all the Olympians.

Uniquepotatoes3478 karma

So what did most people eat in the olympic village?

TheSecretOLY4565 karma

Burgers and pizza

ModernFuture3311 karma

What shady things did you see that weren't mentioned in the media?

frozensand4407 karma

Security was fake as fuck. (Source i worked at all the venues)

TheSecretOLY6211 karma

I can confirm this! It was joke going through security. Most of the guards were university students.

snowangel2233046 karma

In your opinion was there anything going on between Virtue and Moir, or are they just amazing actors?

TheSecretOLY3995 karma

I still don't understand their relationship dynamic??? I saw them at the opening and medal ceremonies, and their chemistry was undeniable. Pretty sure they're ”dating”.

andygchicago2926 karma

What country's delegation was the most obnoxious? Privileged/snobby? Nicest?

TheSecretOLY4650 karma

USA: Obnoxious France: Privilege/snobby Norway: Nicest

Edit 1: Didn't read that question properly.

QuietEggs2750 karma

Did you get to see or meet the North Korean cheerleaders?

What was your impression of them? They always looked sort of unreal or doll like when I saw photos of them.

TheSecretOLY4654 karma

I did see them at my event when I was competing and at the short-track race.

I think it was a hilarious propaganda tool by DPRK, and they seemed very doll like and fake. Around them, there were escorts that made sure none of them escaped.

outofmyterritory2616 karma

What was the gossip about Elizabeth Swaney?

TheSecretOLY4252 karma

Saw her around the village a couple times; she seemed very fake. After all the bad press, she went into hiding.

A lot of athletes from the smaller countries were floored because she made them look really bad in the media. They felt that she was a scam and didn't earn her place there.

Lorrynce2573 karma

What was the general stance towards Russian athletes? Did you interact with them? Do they discuss the doping scandal?

TheSecretOLY3867 karma

Most of them were really quiet and kept themselves. Everyone respected their space and didn't bother them much (*Except the Canadians). There was already bad vibes from everyone so they didn't really talked to anyone except their own delegation members. However, I talked to a few of them in the fitness centre and they were really nice.

elefontdeets2463 karma

Were you able to talk with any North Korean athletes?

Are there any generally hated Olympians? Maybe ones that think their sport is superior to others and look down on other athletes.

TheSecretOLY3655 karma

Unfortunately, no. I wanted a pin from their country.

Elizabeth Swaney was the least respected Olympian there. Henrik Kristofferson was also not very friendly.

honestkeys2315 karma

How much time did you have to actually relax? How much time did you spend practicing? Did you have any other people who were not teammates/ olympics related travel with you to South Korea? And how do you olympians deal with nervousness/ generally being nervous and the pressure before actually performing in the Olympics?

TheSecretOLY3264 karma

I didn't have a lot of time for myself. I spent a lot of time training or doing my rounds of media interviews. I did get to go out a couple times in Seoul and explore Korea after my events.

My family came out to see me and stayed for the entire games.

It's the Olympic man, enjoy yourself and compete like you always do!

IAmGodMode2183 karma

Did you see the athletes from North Korea at all? If so, what was their demeanor? Did they speak English at all, was there a translator for them to communicate with you guys or were they mostly kept from the other athletes?

TheSecretOLY3074 karma

None of them spoke English or talked to anyone. My friend did however get a picture with them and a pin.

wiisportsresort1944 karma

So you guys got custom Samsung Galaxy Note8’s, right? Did you get to keep them?

TheSecretOLY3358 karma

Yup, but I sold mine as soon as I got home.

bjorkdoggo1926 karma

Did you visit other countries' home bases (eg. Canada House)? What was your favourite?

TheSecretOLY3705 karma

Visited the Canada, Czech, Austria and Sweden house

The Canada house was kinda of lame and you had to pay for everything. All the other houses had free food and drinks. Austria and Czech were probably my favourite.

RhythmOwnz1781 karma

Did the people who won medals walk around high and mighty inside Olympic Village?

TheSecretOLY2798 karma

Most of them were pretty humble about it and didn't brag. I think they didn't want to bring any unwanted attention.

thesilent_spectator1726 karma

Hi, Thanks for AMA.

  1. Is that much sex really happen which is portrait by media?
  2. How you dealt with the performance pressure?
  3. How bad was the effect of Norovirus?
  4. Does the sportsmanship spirit really exists in that highly competitive environment? Recent example from this time?

TheSecretOLY2862 karma

  1. Every athlete was really just focused on competing
  2. It was my first Olympic so I really didn't have any high expectations. Just to have qualified and to be able to take apart was a huge honour in itself. I just competed like I would have on any normal day.
  3. The media over-exaggerated it. There was maybe 8 confirmed cases, not 30 something.
  4. YES! I was surprised to see some top-level athletes and even medalist came to me and gave me some personal advice.

vistopher1635 karma

Do you think PyeongChang was well prepared to host the Olympics? Any unsafe things or weird shit happen?

TheSecretOLY2397 karma

It was safe, nothing out of the ordinary happened from what I remember. They definitely had their shit together well in advance!

piglet331515 karma

Did it ever feel anti-climactic? What was your favorite part? What's the part that no one who wasn't there wouldn't guess?

TheSecretOLY2311 karma

It wouldn't say anticlimactic, but the opening ceremonies were a bit a disappointment. There was a lot of unsold seats compared to the closing ceremonies (really odd).

I think everything about it was amazing. It was my first games, so I didn't have any expectations. Really enjoyed the atmosphere at the short-track races and my events.

lovinglogs1443 karma

What was your least favorite experience during the whole thing?

Your favorite?

TheSecretOLY2965 karma

The media. I had media approach me while I was out on personal trips with my family, which really irritated me. They lacked respect for athletes personal space.

Opening Ceremonies

Trillination1200 karma

Does this mean that you were famous enough for a lot of media to recognize you or did they do this to everyone?

TheSecretOLY2125 karma

😁😁😁

Meowmers91373 karma

What was customs like? Did you receive any special treatment being an athlete?

TheSecretOLY2180 karma

Was a joke! There was a special line for olympic delegations and they just looked at my passport and stamped it.

salkhan90001370 karma

What was the worst part of the olympics?

TheSecretOLY2563 karma

-Elizabeth Swaney -Aggressive Media -low turnout for the opening ceremonies

x_minus_one1351 karma

How's the McDonald's at the Olympic Village?

TheSecretOLY2272 karma

It's was pretty average, very low selection of items. I went about 5-6 times and not as often as I’d like because there was only one stand in the gangneung village and it was a 38min ride from the Pyeongchang village. It was definitely worth it because you could order as much food as you wanted.

Doctanasty2852 karma

gangbang village

TheSecretOLY2761 karma

Damm autocorrect

YeahButUmm786 karma

Autocorrect learns what to say based on what you have previously typed.

Into gangbang porn?

TheSecretOLY1456 karma

I should clean my internet history then.

loverofmodernpoetry1189 karma

What was the most controversial thing you witnessed?

TheSecretOLY1829 karma

-In team fighting -Elizabeth Swaney -Dave Duncan’s drunken night

hawkeye8771148 karma

Did Lindsey Vonn find a Valentine's date? Asking for a friend.

TheSecretOLY2011 karma

She did, apparently, it was a news anchor. However, I did spot her on bumble.

andygchicago1012 karma

I hear that for people from poorer countries, the highlight of going to the Olympics is actually getting much needed health care. Are they able to receive that?

Also, are companies just throwing things at you as far as gifts and goodies?

TheSecretOLY2243 karma

There is a polyclinic that has everything in terms of health care. You have access to physio, acupuncture, dentist, medicine, etc. You'd be surprised that it's not just smaller countries that take advantage of this, but in fact a lot of American athletes were using the dental care access.

Samsung gave every athlete a free Samsung Galaxy Note 8 phone. Got a backpack, a lot of clothing, headphones, goggles, and a lot of free equipment.

MisterBalzer910 karma

Did you get a Poutine at Canada House?

TheSecretOLY1848 karma

Nah man, that shit was overpriced.

Varns898 karma

What were the cliques like? Was it mostly athletes from the same nation sticking together or did cliques/groups form according to their sport etc?

TheSecretOLY1290 karma

Most athletes stuck together with their own countries.

ferry_quickly832 karma

What do you REALLY eat when you're in a foreign place to compete?

TheSecretOLY1074 karma

Everything and anything on my plate. The dining hall had a good selection of different foods.

Fizzle1982760 karma

Thanks for doing this AMA! Is there any sort of "talk" that you are given by your host country or by NBC or the Olympic Committee regarding how you are supposed to act or regarding political statements or topics that might be sensitive to the Olympics?

TheSecretOLY1047 karma

Mostly to just stay neutral. Try to defer any political comments and don't state your position.

TheNateRoss738 karma

What’s the deal with Virtue and Moir?

TheSecretOLY1215 karma

Dating... or secretly married

ShitpostingAccount_1618 karma

Hi,

How efficient is the IOC anti-doping agency?

Have you come across any cases/hearsay where an athlete won a medal because of performance enhancement drugs but cleared the official doping test?

TheSecretOLY939 karma

After Sochi, they definitely step up their game. I was tested three times in the week before my departure to Korea and once before competition.

I haven't, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was one athlete there at PyeongChang.

LWrayBay553 karma

Being that these were your first Olympic games, what surprised you the most that you weren't expecting? Also, how much was free for you?

TheSecretOLY1104 karma

Nick kroll deciding to randomly show up in the village. Everything was free!

BlueWolf934547 karma

Have you had sex with any other Olympians?

TheSecretOLY987 karma

Yes

HoldenMcGroin_53130 karma

Saskia??

TheSecretOLY311 karma

Ahaha, I wish! That girl blew off every single guy that approached her.

q-pa81 karma

OK... How did sex with Olympians compare to non-Olympians?

TheSecretOLY191 karma

Better than expected.

karim_eczema399 karma

I know you want to keep this pretty anonymous, so I'll try to be general. What continent are you from?

TheSecretOLY1548 karma

Panem

miloca1983384 karma

Did you banged any north koreans?

TheSecretOLY849 karma

Dude, it was difficult to even get near them.

ILikeWaffles7376 karma

What did you do to spend the time when you were not attending the ceremonies and events?

TheSecretOLY634 karma

Went to Mcdonalds, watched other events, trained, did some interviews, and toured Korea.

Momentum-7353 karma

From the perspective of an athlete, what is the best and worst part of competing at an Olympic level? Is there anything that you wish was handled better?

TheSecretOLY628 karma

Best: Competing against some of the best athletes in the world

Worse: High pressure to succeed for sponsors, nation, etc

Handled better: Media!

TheOnlyGoodRedditor338 karma

So how many athletes are doping?

TheSecretOLY831 karma

Everyone is doping

shadowstejo248 karma

What was the general stance towards German and Norwegian(etc.) athletes like, especially those who won multiple medals. Like where they not well seen or was everyone just happy for them?

TheSecretOLY367 karma

Nobody had hard feelings to them. Only OAR and their athletes who won medal.

barak181238 karma

You've mentioned in-team fighting a couple of times. Can you give us an example? What's going on to incite things like that?

TheSecretOLY521 karma

Apparently, there was drama going on in the CAN woman bobsleigh team, and none of them sat together. One them left the dining hall in tears a couple of times.

Not exactly sure about the details, but I believe it has to do with competitiveness or the team positions.

BarfReali197 karma

since olympics is a huge sex fest. What country's olympians are the most 'popular' and 'unpopular'? I know this question is probably messed up and I asked it in an inelegant way, but I still would like to know. thanks!

TheSecretOLY512 karma

USA, Italians and Australian athletes are always DTF!

Germans were unpopular

burgerzz_tv160 karma

Did you get a lot of attention from fans/locals?

TheSecretOLY334 karma

Hmmm... This may reveal my identity

theiconicman155 karma

Soo... how was the olympic orgy?

TheSecretOLY364 karma

Didn't get an invitation, sadly!

Aloha_Peaches151 karma

Did you meet Pita, the Tongan athlete? Was he nice and authentic?

TheSecretOLY491 karma

I did meet Pita! He was nice.

Honestly, he posed for the camera and with other people, but he's a kind of fraud like Swaney. Most of his delegation members were very snobby and kinda had this high glory vibe around them.

I think it's cool and all what he did, but now he's going on and loathing up all the media attention after he said ”he would be return to Tonga after the games to help repair the damage after the storm”. He's currently in LA doing more self-promoting. I don't think he's as genuine as people perceive him.

WolverineSix136 karma

How much sex was there? Did you get the notorious?

TheSecretOLY320 karma

Not as much as you'd expect (from what I saw). I did get a lucky a few times.

ashleemiss112 karma

How much free time to explore Korea did you have? Aside from the impersonators was there any political stunts/propaganda on show?

TheSecretOLY149 karma

The North Korean cheerleader were definitely propaganda.

I did get some time to go to Seoul and spend a night there.

ThisUsernameIsToShor108 karma

How is Shaun White off camera? I have heard he can be kind of rude in person, but that's something I read on the internet so could be completely false.

TheSecretOLY206 karma

No, it’s very true! My brother got snubbed by him when he asked for an autograph.