Inside the Paris Olympic Village: Track and field star Chari Hawkins reveals how athletes can get their nails done and take bakery classes between events - and shares the chocolate muffins that have become a viral hit

American track and field star Chari Hawkins has revealed the amenities afforded to Olympians competing in this year's games in Paris.

Hawkins, 33, told MailOnline that elite athletes living in the Olympic Village get to live the high life in between events. 

Showing off her nails, made up of a mix of the American flag, the Olympic rings, a gold medal, she said: 'The Olympians can get their nails done, and they can get their hair cut.

'They have bakery classes, so you can bake bread. You can also get a cappuccino and you can print any photo you want on it. 

'There's a meditation room, they have saunas. It's really nice.'

Hawkins, who studied at the University of Bath in 2018, also shared her thoughts on the Village's chocolate muffins that went viral thanks to a Norwegian swimmer's TikToks. 

'I see them every day, and I'm like... the muffins', she said with a longing sigh. 

The world first came to know about the legendary muffins after Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who is competing in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle, raved about them on TikTok. 

In one clip, a teammate was seen saying 'I feel like you're just here for the chocolate muffins', before the camera turns to show the three-time Olympian going to town on one of the muffins.

In another, he was seen pulling muffins from a secret drawer while his nose is covered in chocolate, while a third video shows him saying: 'I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF AS THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN.'

But it's not all fun and games at the Paris Olympics. 

Parisians are still hesitant to take a dip in the Seine despite the massive €1billion clean-up operation organised for the Olympics, MailOnline has learned.

Locals said they still believed the river to be 'dirty' and dismissed the idea of a swim as 'crazy s**t' when asked, amid concerns about the water quality in the capital.

It came as the men's triathlon event was postponed due to poor water quality, after tests in the river 'did not provide sufficient guarantees' for the event to go ahead.

While the World Triathlon said the water quality had improved, it was forced to set the event back to Wednesday in the latest blow to organisers after an uneasy start to the Games marred by poor weather and criticism over the opening ceremony.

France spent more than €1billion (£840,000,000) on cleaning up the river in preparation for the Games, but locals remain unconvinced the water is safe to swim.

MailOnline spoke with Shaka Ponk singer Frah in the French capital as the event was set back over concerns about water quality.

Asked whether he would swim in the river, he said: 'No, it's crazy s**t.'

'I think it's dirty.'

Asked what might be living in the river, a second person said: 'Everything which is dirty - rats living inside.'

He added that he would consider swimming in the river for a million dollars.

Others were more convinced, showing faith in the efforts of the local administration to make the river safe to swim.

''I think it's quite clean,' a third person told MailOnline.

'Pollution was not a huge focus for Paris. Now it is.

'We have to be happy for this. What the city did for its people.'

Paris has spent a small fortune trying to clean up the river running through the capital ahead of the Olympics.

This included building an enormous reservoir to capture excess rainwater and keep waste from flowing into the river.

Before the renovation efforts, swimming in the Seine had been banned for a full century because of how dirty it was.

Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of the Olympics, heralded the clean-up operation at the time as 'our contribution to the future'.

'When people see athletes swimming in the Seine with no health problems, they'll be confident themselves to start going back in the Seine,' he said.