PARIS, Aug 9 — US Olympic rugby bronze medalist Ariana Ramsey went viral for getting, of all things, healthcare.
Ramsey, in a TikTok video, said she had signed up for multiple medical appointments after finding out they were free.
“Hey y’all, not only in the village do we have free food but we have free dental, free healthcare. I literally just got a pap smear for free,” she said.
Besides a gynaecologist, Ramsey also saw a dentist and ophthalmologist and was prescribed glasses (which were also free).
She has made multiple videos since, including a jokey one where she made fun of herself for supposedly only being at the Olympics for the healthcare.
In one video she stated that the US “needed to better with its healthcare system.”
Free healthcare has, according to Sports Illustrated, been available at the Olympic Village since the 1932 Los Angeles Games but many athletes are unaware of the perk.
Ramsey says she has received messages from other athletes expressing both surprise and their intent to visit the clinics, as well as staffers who thanked her for bringing awareness for the option.
Looks like even if athletes don’t come home with medals, at least they will get to take advantage of free medical treatments that might not be as accessible or affordable in their homelands, even in a developed country such as the US.
