One might think that at the Olympics — the largest sporting celebration in the world — athletes are treated to a breakfast of champions. But according to firsthand accounts from competitors, the food is surprisingly really bad.
So much so that team Great Britain flew in their own private chef to help prepare meals for their athletes following complaints of inadequate serving portions and rationing of high-protein foods, The Independent reported. Several British athletes have also begun bringing packed lunches and meals back to the village.
“There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates, and then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes,” Andy Anson, the British Olympic Association’s chief executive, told The Times. “They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically.
“Our athletes have decided they would rather go and eat in our performance lodge in Clichy, so we are having to get another chef to come over as the demand is far exceeding what we thought it would be,” he continued, adding that food “is the biggest issue at the moment.”
Competitors have complained about a lack of eggs, which were reportedly rationed at breakfast during the first few days of the Olympics. Same with grilled meats, which many athletes said were “insufficient” in amount, according to the French newspaper L’Équipe.
Organizers at the Games claimed the lack of food — and poor quality of food — is due to supply problems with Sodexo Live, the company in charge of catering. Sodexo Live confirmed “a very high demand” for specific food items and said that “volumes will be increased” to “satisfy the needs of the athletes,” per BBC.
The Olympic Village is expected to prepare 40,000 meals each day. In total, the athletes’ village is slated to serve approximately 13 million meals during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of meals produced by half, a strict quality charter was developed in anticipation of the Paris Games. A quarter of all ingredients are sourced in a 155-mile (250 km) radius of Paris, and 20% are certified organic, BBC reported. Meat, milk and eggs are all from France, and a third of the food is plant-based.
Two hundred water, juice and soda fountains were installed in the Olympic Village prior to the Games beginning. Only reusable cups and crockery are available to use.
In the same vein as Great Britain, team Korea also brought their own culinary team in the wake of the food shortage. A team of 15 Korean chefs and nutritionists were flown into France to ensure that the athletes were well-fed throughout the competition, according to the CJ Newsroom. The team sourced meat, milk, vegetables and fruit from France, and airlifted 1½ tons of rice and grains and ½ ton of kimchi and seasonings from Korea. Korean athletes are reportedly enjoying dishes like spicy pork and egg rolls served with rice and Buldak ramen, according to Tasting Table.
Many athletes have taken to social media to share disappointed reviews of the foods currently being served in the village. Singaporean swimmer Quah Jing Wen said the flavor of a French salmon Wellington dish she got “caught her off guard,” but eventually grew on her. She added that most of the meals don’t have enough salt. On TikTok, American track and field athlete Raven Saunders posted a video of a piece of food from the dining hall alongside an audio that says, “You disappointed me.”
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During a press conference that took place shortly after the U.S. women’s gymnastics team won gold, the athletes criticized the dining hall options after a reporter asked if they were satisfied with French food.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t think we’re having proper French cuisine in the village like you guys might be eating because you’re outside the village,” Simone Biles said. Hezly Rivera echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I don’t think it’s very good, at least what we’re having in the dining hall.”
Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews, one dining hall item seems to have garnered much praise amongst the athletes.
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen is a huge fan of the chocolate muffins, which he gave a score of 11/10 while taste-testing several dining hall foods. In one video, he hailed the muffin as the “single greatest thing about the Olympic Village.” In a separate video, he is caught eating a muffin in bed, and in another, he’s seen apologizing to the muffin for the “really passionate” relationship they’ve enjoyed. U.S. climber Colin Duffy also posted a TikTok praising the chocolate muffin.
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