By Retta Race on SwimSwam
2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
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Although the swimming competition at the 2024 Olympic Games has concluded, we’re hearing more about the swimmer experience within the athletes’ village during the 9-day affair.
British medalist Adam Peaty is the latest to relay what he found while eating and living in the village, specifically describing the catering situation and a worm encounter.
“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” he told the i. “We need to give the best we possibly can. [In] Tokyo the food was incredible. Rio was incredible. But this time around? There wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queueing system.
“I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough. The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re not feeding them the best.” (The i)
Peaty also conveyed that the Games’ sustainability pledge which included making 60% of all meals served meatless was not ideal for what he’s used to feeding his body.
“The narrative of sustainability has just been pushed on the athletes,” he said. “I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?”
Previous reports say that the first hours of the Olympic Village’s opening, the restaurant faced a food emergency. After trying to deal with the food shortage, some teams proceeded to send their chefs to Paris to meet the needs of their athletes.
In addition to food, the quality of sleep also left something to be desired. There were those who had beds and mattresses flown in from their own countries, while others bought them online and had them delivered directly to the Village.
South Korean swimmers also left the Village before competition in the pool even got underway on Friday 27th July and a few days later, other athletes decided to leave the Village and stay in hotels or even mountain chateaus.
Backstroke champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy previously told the media how the lack of air conditioning and food variety was dragging on the athletes.
“In the Village there is no air conditioning, it’s hot, the food is bad,” he said.
A Paris 2024 spokesperson told the i: “We are listening to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously.
“Since the opening of the village, our partner Sodexo Live! has been working proactively to adapt supplies to the growing use of the Olympic Village restaurants, as well as to the actual consumption by athletes observed over the first few days.
“As a result, the quantities of certain products has been significantly increased and additional staff have been deployed to ensure the service runs smoothly.”
Sodexo is a large French-based food services and facilities management company that employs over 400,000 people. It is the second-largest European company of its kind and the second-largest employer among French multi-national corporations.
Besides events, Sodexo also provides food services to restaurants, catering, as well as institutional customers like schools, senior homes, prisons, hospitals, and certain mess halls for armed services of the UK and US militaries.
The company has also expanded into facility management services like hospitals, assisted living, schools, and prisons.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Adam Peaty Describes Finding Worms In Fish While Eating In Paris Olympic Village