Peruvian Surfer Lucca Mesinas had only one complaint about competing and living in Tahiti during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 28-year-old Men’s Shortboard Olympian seems to have enjoyed lodging aboard the luxurious Aranui 5 cruise ship off the coast French Polynesian island along with other surfers over the past few weeks.
“We had good food, we had ping-pong, things to do over there,” Mesinas told TMZ after landing at LAX earlier this week. “We were allowed to leave the boat anytime to go to surf. It was pretty fun anyway.”
Although it was all fun and games for the athletes during the daytime, Mesinas’ real nightmare came at lights out as he couldn’t get some shut-eye.
“The room was pretty nice, the bed was really nice too, the only bad thing was that the boat was moving a lot like every day,” he said. “Because there was a lot of wind and waves it was kind of difficult to sleep sometimes.”
The two-time Olympian, who lost in the second round of the Men’s competition last week, said he enjoyed the room he stayed in and took advantage of not having to sleep on the “anti-sex” beds, as he “Maybe (had) one” hookup while onboard the Aruanui 5.
The ship can accommodate about 230 passengers in over 100 cabins, with eight guest decks, a spa and gym, according to its website. It’s anchored just off shore and the surfers, coaches and others take small boats to get back and forth.
It features a dining room, two conference rooms, three bars including one panoramic bar and an outdoor swimming pool.
Mesina and his compatriots also took advantage of the ping-pong table onboard, declaring themselves as the best players onboard the ship.
“I’m pretty sure we were [the best], the Peruvians,” he told the outlet. “As surfers, every time we travel, we play ping-pong all the time. I’m not amazing at it, [but] all the team is pretty good at it.”
The cruise ship was docked 45 minutes from where the surfing competition was being held, and 9,300 miles from the Olympic Village outside of Paris, where athletes residing there have had less than fond experiences.
Among the complaints in the main athletic residence were a lack of air conditioning, small rooms, “anti-sex” beds made out of cardboard, and a low bathroom-to-athlete ratio.
Not every athlete who competed in Tahiti stayed on the ship as some national teams and individuals rented homes closer to the competition site.
Some athletes have trashed the food served as “not great” while others, including several US teams left the village for better accommodations.
Team USA’s men’s and women’s basketball rosters are staying in the four-star, $15 million Paris Marriott Opera Hotel, according to the Daily Mail.
Italian Gold medal swimmer Thomas Ceccon was spotted sleeping in a park in the Olympic Village instead of inside one of the buildings.
