​Davyd Popovichi is intensively preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris, where he will compete for medals in 100 and 200 meter freestyle swimming. The athlete will be outside the Olympic Village and will have security.

David Popovich, separate housing from the rest of the athletes and security conditions at the 2024 Olympic Games – who pays for them?

In a statement released Friday on social media, David Popovich announced that he and his staff will be staying outside the Olympic Village at the Paris Olympics in a three-star hotel.

As for private security services, the champion noted that they will be fully paid for by him.

COSR President Mihai Kovaliu, contacted by iAMSport, says that the swimmer is not privileged, but that “all are not equal” in terms of the athletes who will be present in Paris.

“No one likes Davyd Popovich, but he is an exceptional athlete. And like all exceptional athletes who go to the Olympics to fight for a gold medal, he needs maximum support. I mean, an athlete who qualifies in the last criterion, which is 50th, and has exaggerated claims, you can’t put them…

We must know that not all are equal. There are athletes with better ratings, there are athletes with lower ratings, and there are athletes who simply qualify for the Olympics. There is a measure to everything.

And the rowing and kayaking teams will sit near the Olympic Village. For them and for David, there are two Olympic centers of excellence that we will have there. The amount is much higher for the mentioned parties, because there are even more athletes.” Mihai Kovaliu saidfor iAMSport.

For her part, the president of the Romanian Federation of Swimming and Modern Pentathlon, Camelia Potek, claims that Popovici’s family is not classified as staff and that the number of rooms reserved for him is reasonable.

“Parents are not David’s employees. I have also heard stories about his girlfriend that she will stay with him. I do not know if he will come to Paris or not, but I can confirm that he is not part of David. If someone from his family comes there, it has nothing to do with Popovich’s location.

And if we talk about the hotel, which is three stars, not five, then the prices now, compared to last year, when the contract was concluded, are completely different, more than doubled. It’s not about ten or six rooms, but specifically that David doesn’t make those requests. They do not come from the athlete. He has only one job – to swim. Requests come from the coach or staff.

The room stock is decent, I can tell you that. Not all members of his team are leaving, I can confirm that, but it’s true that it’s not just him and the coach” – – said Kamelia Potek.

This is not an isolated case, at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, Gabriela Szabo lived outside the Olympic Village, but all expenses were covered by her sponsors.

The then president of COSR, Ion Cyriac, refused to pay for transportation and accommodation elsewhere.