Aussie shooter Russell Mark and his wife Lauryn are none-too-pleased their time in the Olympic Village will be spent apart. The couple, both members of the Australian Olympic shooting team, have been banned by officials from sharing a room during the Games.
Mark claims the ban punishes him and Lauryn for being married since many gay couples on our Olympic team will be rooming together.
“The stupid part of this…is that there are tons of gay couples on the Olympic team who will be rooming together so we are being discriminated against because we are heterosexual,” Russell told AFP.
“Every couple, whether they are married or de facto should have the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) trying to bend over backwards to accommodate their needs. What pissed (angered) the AOC more than anything else is the photo shoot. It’s just too hard for them.”
Mark appears to be referring to Lauryn’s recent Zoo magazine shoot in which she appears holding a shotgun while wearing high heels and a green and gold bikini.
The claims, however, are refuted by Nick Green, chef de mission for the Aussie team, who says this isn’t the case at all and that if an exception was made, it would have a “significant domino effect”.
“It is simply not true. I have known Russell for 16 years.
“Accommodation and bedding are done in a particular way to ensure all the athletes are accommodated in the village.”
As of today, Russell is still unable to sleep in the same room as his wife during their Olympics journey, however he says he still doesn’t understand why they can’t do so.
Russell told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, “My section manager put this in writing be cause he said they said it breached bathroom ratio sharing policy. I don’t know what that means. They’ve obviously never been to the Rosebud caravan park at Christmas.”
What do you think? Should married Olympians be allowed to share a room or should they have to adhere by the same rules as all other team members and room separately?
