Big hurdles

Hooking up as a serious athlete (and when I say “serious athlete” I mean those who compete at national or international level, those who make money from their sport and – of course – Olympians) is a bit trickier than your average Saturday-night fling. Sure, hypothetically we can jump on Bumble like anyone else – but between practice and cross-training (which can add up to three sessions a day) and travelling at weekends, there’s next to no time to get to know someone new. There are also very few date ideas that can accommodate both athletes and “civilians”: many serious athletes have strict diets (that’s a lavish dinner out of the window), an early bedtime and a low-alcohol policy (sayonara, cocktail bar).

All this explains why athletes tend to date each other, and why hook-ups might go down at competitions, when athletes are thrown together with a new pool of people they don’t usually train with. The problem? When you’re at an international competition, there are people on hand whose job it is to make sure you obey the rules. Rules that include a curfew and a moratorium on getting frisky with anyone, never mind each other.

Then there’s the accommodation. For international competitions, everyone’s put up in hotels (with