Telly, Popcorn And 5,000 Tea Bags: Welcome To Team Gb’s Milan Base

Team GB’s athletes astatine nan Winter Olympics will beryllium fuelled by 130kg of Quaker porridge oats, 5,050 Aldi teabags – and a Formula One simulator.

The Guardian was fixed uncommon entree to nan British team’s guidelines astatine nan Olympic Village successful Milan, wherever 10 of their 55 athletes, including nan prima fig skaters Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, are staying.

The rooms successful nan colony are cramped, and conscionable astir large capable to fresh 2 azygous beds. However Team GB is attempting to make athletes consciousness much astatine location pinch a ample TV showing BBC One, jigsaw puzzles and Connect 4, and immense supplies of popcorn, java and consequence pastilles.

Team GB’s lawman de ngo Anne Sargent said nan squad had besides brought successful sofas, stationary workout bikes and a room for doctors and physios to help.

“When we return complete our spaces successful nan village, it’s conscionable a wholly quiet room,” she said. “So we activity difficult to vessel retired a batch of entertainment, snacks, nan TV and games to make it a existent location from home.”

At nan Paris Games location were complaints from British athletes about nan deficiency of meat successful nan village. However Sargent insisted location had been nary issues this clip around. “The food’s been brilliant,” she said. “There’s everything we’d want successful nan eating hall: porridge astatine meal and loads of nutrient astatine dinner.”

When athletes locomotion astir nan village, they tin besides usage a ample gym, play array shot and aerial hockey, and moreover play nan piano. There are besides free drinks machines, stacked pinch Coca-Cola and Innocent smoothies.

However nan British skater Ellia Smeding said that 1 point was missing: precocious value coffee. “I deliberation we’re going to scope retired immoderate bully java shops,” she said. “I’m overmuch much into select coffee, a bully pourover fruity flavours, ray ... I do bask bully cappuccino, but bully pourovers are my thing.”

There are besides signs connected nan walls that pass Team GB athletes: “Take Hygiene Seriously! Germs are everywhere, don’t fto them compete.”

Athletes are told to adjacent nan toilet lid earlier they flush, cough and sneeze into their elbows and to cleanable their hands regularly. As 1 motion puts it: “Be Safe. Be Smart. Protect nan Team.”

It is still a acold outcry from nan Beijing Winter Games, erstwhile British athletes were tested regular for Covid and not to operation pinch different teams.

The first athletes statesman their Olympic campaigns connected Wednesdaywhen nan mixed curling tourney begins. Britain’s squad of Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds, who are 2nd favourites down Canada, commencement pinch a group lucifer against Norway.