Swimmer Adam Peaty Makes Bold Claim About Contaminated Food in the Olympic Village
Just because the chocolate muffins were a huge hit with athletes doesn't mean the rest of the food served in the Olympic Village is particularly appetizing—or even edible.
British swimmer Adam Peaty is the latest Olympian to complain about the conditions in the Olympic Village—which he says left his team "blindsided"—and he's particularly concerned about the quality of the food. According to Peaty, Paris 2024’s climate pledges, which included making 60 percent of all meals served at the Games meatless, have presented a challenge for athletes.
“I want to eat meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?" he asked in an interview with iNews. “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 feeding them not the best.”
“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can,” Peaty continued. “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 queuing system."
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Peaty isn't the only competitor to take issue with the food in the Village. As Parade previously reported, Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon spoke out about the meals—along with the lack of air-conditioning—before being photographed sleeping outside in a park instead of inside the dorm.
"There is no air conditioning in the village, it's hot, the food is bad," Ceccon said. "Many athletes move for this reason: it's not an alibi or excuse, it's the reality of what perhaps not everyone knows."
Andy Anson, chief of the British Olympic Association, also commented on the unacceptable menu options.
“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,” Anson told the Times of London.
In a statement to Parade, Sodexo—the vendor responsible for the food at the 2024 Olympic Village—said there is no validity to Peaty's claims.
?”Paris 2024 catering operations are subject to regular inspections by the food safety authorities, and a private inspection company has also carried out additional checks," the statement reads. "There has been nothing found to provide validity to this claim. Further, Team GB has confirmed that no such reports have been made to their staff. There was never any question of placing the vegetarian objectives of Paris 2024’s Food Vision on the athletes.”
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