The Olympics is undoubtedly the biggest celebration of sports. Thousands of athletes from around the globe gather and compete in their respective fields. Team USA itself has sent 594 athletes to compete in 30 sports! So, accommodation for these athletes has always been a talking point, and that’s where the Olympic Village comes in. However, it isn’t feasible for superstar athletes to stay in the village considering their privacy and comfort. And with Dream Team 2.0, spearheaded by the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the hoopers have taken accommodation outside this village.
For this Paris edition, fans have not only witnessed the games live but also got constant glimpses of the Olympic Village, thanks to social media. The athletes, staying at the massive facility, have been posting videos. Notably, the unique cardboard beds have become a major highlight. On the other side, there isn’t much information about the accommodation of the bigger reputed athletes and the cost behind it. Nevertheless, some breakthrough information has surfaced.
First of all, it’s not just Team USA’s men’s basketball team that is reaping this privilege but also the women’s side, including stars like A’ja Wilson & Kelsey Plum and others as well. Justin Birnbaum, a Forbes staff writer, said, “USA Basketball is staying in a hotel in the city center of Paris. They contracted for the entire hotel. I’m told it has about 800 rooms. It’s unclear if they’re going to use all 800, but they have the option to kind of give some back or another sport with a similar lifestyle like golf, for example.”
Team USA’s group stage games, however, are in Lille, which is about two hours away. But not to worry! The management has secured a 5-star hotel near the game venue too and the teams will spend the night before their game in the Lille accommodation. Moreover, speaking of the costs involved, Birnbaum revealed that the management not only pays for the stay but also several other facilities. He continued, “We estimate that the total cost there is about $15 million. It’s like you said, it includes all these different things, like travel, chartering, lodging, transport. Whether it’s getting the practices and games, there’s a lot of associated costs.”
Who bears the costs for LeBron James, A’ja Wilson & Co.’s exclusive facilities?
Accommodation of superstar athletes comes with a lot of issues. Firstly, they require a world-class practice facility, along with tight security, to have a successful campaign. Speaking of which, Justin Birnbaum continued, “The USOPC (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee) helps out in different ways you know for one you know they have the high-performance training center which Olympic teams train at while they’re in Paris and USA Basketball obviously gets access to that as well.”
via Getty
He further continued, “There are other areas where they contribute or lend resources in this and that and also the state department lends some security help as does the NBA so the kind of combination of all these things extrapolated together is how we arrive at our estimate $15 million.” It’s certainly a heavy price for just two teams to perform in the Olympics. Well, won’t it all be worth it if Team USA brings home two Gold medals in basketball?
However, this isn’t just the case for Team USA basketball, but also for other superstar athletes as well. Notably, 24x Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic opted to stay in his own accommodation with family snubbing the Olympics village. While there isn’t a clear reason behind it, a report suggested that Djokovic opted out, citing privacy concerns.
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