Games On

Let the games begin

The secret of the modern Olympics is that the athlete village, with its tightly packed collection of firm young bodies, 24-hour sports television and all-you-can eat international cuisine, has become the most exclusive VIP club in the world. s "a two-week-long private party for thousands of hard-bodies," says Nelson Diebel, an American swimmer who won gold twice in Barcelona. Like a mirage, the village appears in the middle of an exuberant host city for two weeks every two years. Open only to competitors, coaches and trainers, it’s a wonderland of hormones, glycogen and dance mixes...

"It’s really a question of ‘which flavour do you like?’," says swimmer Diebel. "If you like six-packs, see the gymnasts. Like butts? Go to track and field. The only thing you’re deprived of is fat. If you’re the rare athlete who likes sedentary bodies, you’re shit out of luck."