# Olympics: When You're Done Competing, Can You Go Home? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 7, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802 "2012-08-07T23:44:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/1 "2012-08-07T23:44:23Z")
The title pretty much says it all: when your events are over, can you head on home? Or are you expected (and/or required) to stay at Olympic Village until the closing ceremony? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/2 "2012-08-07T23:59:11Z")
Why would you go home? I’m sure the Olympic Village is hookup booty camp. Especially if you medal. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/3 "2012-08-08T00:01:23Z")
You can go home if you wish, but few wish to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/4 "2012-08-08T00:11:40Z")
I think the athletes are actually encouraged to leave after they’re done competing. Housing them, after all, is a considerable expense to the host city. But my understanding is that most of the athletes prefer to stay on - once their competitions are done, they view it as a free vacation where they can hang out with their peers, relax, and/or party. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/5 "2012-08-08T02:50:14Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Why would you go home? I’m sure the Olympic Village is hookup booty camp. Especially if you medal. Judging by all the news reports I saw regarding the number of condoms to be given out, I would guess that most of the competitors stay. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/6 "2012-08-08T03:16:30Z")
Don’t the NOCs pay for the atheletes’ trips to & from the Olympics? I imagine alot of them would just charter aircraft and plan on the whole delegation traveling at once. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/7 "2012-08-08T04:13:41Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Judging by all the news reports I saw regarding the number of condoms to be given out, I would guess that most of the competitors stay. “What happens in the village stays in the village…” [Sex in the Olympic Villiage (ESPN Magazine)](http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/story/_/id/8133052/athletes-spill-details-dirty-secrets-olympic-village-espn-magazine) ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/8 "2012-08-08T06:06:08Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > “What happens in the village stays in the village…” > > [Sex in the Olympic Villiage (ESPN Magazine)](http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/story/_/id/8133052/athletes-spill-details-dirty-secrets-olympic-village-espn-magazine) Be seeing you . . . ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/9 "2012-08-08T07:18:41Z")
[Cartman] Screw you guys. Home. [/Cartman] ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/10 "2012-08-08T10:30:36Z")
You can, but I don’t think it is encouraged. Didn’t Nancy Kerrigan get criticized for blowing off the closing ceremonies to go do her WDW photo shoot? ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/11 "2012-08-08T10:48:00Z")
Everyone is welcome to stay - hence part of the Closing Ceremony (yep, still that one to come) focuses on the athletes. I guess it depends on your circs; single partier or married with a family, without a medal or, like the guy from Cyprus this morning, summonded home for a day of national celebration (their first ever medal)., etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/12 "2012-08-08T12:04:54Z")
Two of the Australian swimmers got booted out after their events were over, but that was for some (fairly trivial IMO, or you might even say non-existent) bad behaviour, and at the instigation of their own team’s officials. [http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/london-olympics/swimmers-nick-darcy-and-kenrick-monk-allowed-to-holiday-rather-than-return-home/story-fn9di2lk-1226443443086](http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/london-olympics/swimmers-nick-darcy-and-kenrick-monk-allowed-to-holiday-rather-than-return-home/story-fn9di2lk-1226443443086) Everyone else seems to be staying. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/13 "2012-08-08T14:47:49Z")
The sports pages here made a point of mentioning that silver medal-winning fencer Bartosz Piasecki came home shortly after the final, but he had a good reason - he’s a high school math teacher, and he’s trying to squeeze in a little vacation between the end of the intense training for the Olympics and the beginning of the school year. Other than that, everybody seems to be staying for the party. As others have said, if you’re a bona fide Olympic athlete, you’re welcome to stay from the time the Olympic Village opens a few days before the opening ceremony, until it closes a day or two after the end of the Games. ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/14 "2012-08-08T18:09:49Z")
Unless you don’t want to go home like the Olympians from Cameroon apparently didn’t. 7 of their Olympians failed to board their plane home and are missing. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/15 "2012-08-08T18:23:33Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Judging by all the news reports I saw regarding the number of condoms to be given out, I would guess that most of the competitors stay. I would guess that most of the competitors come. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/16 "2012-08-08T19:07:12Z")
I know a guy who was an Olympic athlete without a chance of winning a medal. He was independently well off at the time so the whole thing was a fun lark for him. He said that the party at Olympic village at the end of the Games was epic and not to be missed. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/17 "2012-08-08T23:24:06Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I would guess that most of the competitors come. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/18 "2012-08-09T13:38:01Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > The sports pages here made a point of mentioning that silver medal-winning fencer Bartosz Piasecki came home shortly after the final, but he had a good reason - he’s a high school math teacher, and he’s trying to squeeze in a little vacation between the end of the intense training for the Olympics and the beginning of the school year. If I had won a medal and had to go home early, I’d ‘accidentally’ forget to remove my medal when I went through the metal detector at the airport. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/19 "2012-08-09T20:21:19Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > [Cartman] Screw you guys. Home. [/Cartman] In this case, it’s more applicable to say, “Screw you guys. I’m staying here.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802/20 "2012-08-09T20:28:17Z")
A speculation about 2016. The sex in the Olympic Village had apparently been going on for years. But it’s always been Fight Club rules and nobody’s talked about it. But this year, it’s come out into the open. So my guess is that it’s over. The killjoys will be ready for Rio and they will have rules and chaperones and such in place to make sure the “young people aren’t exposed to any improper situations”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-when-youre-done-competing-can-you-go-home/630802.md?page=2)