Some stories have managed to get out to the public realm, but, largely, the legendary amount of hooking up that takes place in the Olympic Village each Olympiad has been one of the better-kept secrets of the Games.
However, a tremendous, new ESPN The Magazine story is doing its part to blow the lid wide off on the frat house-like atmosphere of the swanky digs Olympians call home for two-plus weeks. In tremendous and shocking detail, too, thanks to several candid former and current Olympians.
One of the athletes who spoke openly about their wild experiences at the Olympic Village is massively popular U.S. women’s soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo, who won gold four years ago in Beijing and has already had made her share of headlines this week.
“There’s a lot of sex going on,” Solo said. So much, in fact, that U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte estimates that “70 percent to 75 percent of Olympians” engage in what Bill Clinton would call “sexual relations.”
“With a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you want to build memories, whether it’s sexual, partying or on the field,” Solo said. “I’ve seen people having sex right out in the open. On the grass, between buildings, people are getting down and dirty.
“If you don’t have discipline, the village can be a huge distraction.”
Luckily for Solo, she was able to have that discipline in 2008. But after she and her teammates claimed gold, all bets were off. The women’s soccer tournament takes place for the entire length of the games, meaning the only time the ladies can truly let their hair down and go wild is the closing ceremony. And did Solo ever seize the opportunity, claiming to have some type of secret rendezvous in her room with an unnamed celebrity.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but we met a bunch of celebrities,” Solo explained. “Vince Vaughn partied with us. Steve Byrne, the comedian. And at some point we decided to take the party back to the village, so we started talking to the security guards, showed off our gold medals, got their attention and snuck our group through without credentials — which is absolutely unheard of.
“I may have snuck a celebrity back to my room without anybody knowing, and snuck him back out. But that’s my Olympic secret.”
Solo, you dog, you!
Well, whatever debauchery is in store for Solo and the rest of the Olympians in London, they better hope the Olympic Village is prepared, unlike the village during the Vancouver Games.
Note: This post also appeared on Fox Sports’ Medal Detector Olympic blog
Photo: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE
