The Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris are in full swing, and the internet is obsessed. From Olympic Village hookups to the influencers in attendance, all eyes are on the games and the buzz surrounding them. However, one not-so glamorous part of the Olympian lifestyle has drawn quite a bit of attention: the food.
One would think that the world’s best athletes would have world-class meals to match — especially in Paris, a city that touts its culinary reputation — but apparently, this hasn’t been the case.
During a press conference with the U.S. women’s gymnastics team after their gold-medal win on July 30, the athletes were asked their opinions of French food, following rumors of athletes’ recent complaints about the Olympic Village meals.
Simone Biles started off gently explaining that the food served to the athletes in the dining hall wasn’t exactly “proper French cuisine” and that it was meant to be healthier, but teammate Hezly Rivera didn’t hold back.
Rivera put it frankly and directly: “I don’t think it’s very good, at least what we’re having in the dining hall,” she said. “I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s the best. But it gets the job done.”
So why aren’t these athletes getting the best possible meals, especially at a time when peak performances are so important?
Olympic organizers came into this years’ games focused on reducing their carbon footprint. One of the ways they planned to do this was by reducing athletes’ meat consumption and locally sourcing their food. It was all a part of the “Paris 2024 Food Vision,” but some of the sacrifices made for the sake of the environment left athletes unhappy.
It pretty much goes without saying: for a large group of serious professional athletes performing at the highest possible level, skimping on the foods they use to keep themselves strong and sharp was not a popular choice.Â
The Olympians themselves aren’t the only ones making complaints. The British Olympic Association’s chief executive Andy Anson told the Times on the eve of the Opening Ceremonies that the food “is not adequate,” and that both the quality and quantity of certain foods were below average, with a scarce supply of eggs, chicken, and carbohydrates, and claims that the athletes were being served with raw meat.
This is not the first time that athletes’ food has been an issue during the Olympics. Some teams brought their own food to Beijing in 2008 due to concerns over food safety, long lines became an issue in Rio in 2016, and in Tokyo in 2021, 175 tons of food went to waste.
According to the Washington Post, organizers were unsurprised by the athletes’ complaints about food, and they planned accordingly by making only 30% of athletes’ available meals plant-based, whereas 60% or more of the meals provided to spectators are plant-based.Â
Adjustments have been made to appease the teams, with an increase in eggs and certain meats supplied immediately once complaints started rolling in — however, the aforementioned statistics remain true despite the changes made.
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ overall goal was to halve the carbon footprint of London 2012 and Rio 2016 — and though limiting athletes’ dining options might not have been the most popular way to go about it, we can hope that goal is met while still keeping our Olympians happy and well-fed.Â