Several athletes have reported a shortage of eggs and grilled meats at The Olympic Village in Paris.
According to media outlet BBC, catering partner of The Olympic Village Sodexo Live! confirmed a high demand for certain products and said that it will increase the volume of food to satisfy the needs of the athletes for the rest of the competition.
Not only have the protein options been strained at the competition, but the living quarters have been questioned.
According to multiple news outlets, Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon was photographed taking a nap in a Paris park after complaining about the conditions at the Olympic village in Paris.
After winning gold in the men's 100-meter backstroke, the competitor claimed it was hard to sleep at night and in the afternoon at the athletes' provided accommodations due to lack of air conditioning.
While I found many negative comments about the competitors’ experiences during my research on the topic, I saw multiple sources claiming that the accommodations were not that bad, and that while the quality of the protein provided to the athletes was not great, there was enough to go around.
According to the official Olympic website, the protein sourced for the competition included 100% French and sustainable meat, French dairy products, 100% products from sustainable fishing and 100% free-range eggs from France.
I’m not sure if the above standards for this year’s protein caused the perceived shortage, but maybe in 2028, the Village will be more prepared to serve its athletes the amount of protein needed to perform at the Olympic level.
More about the competition’s food sourcing
Over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, its estimated that The Village will serve approximately 13 million meals to 15,000 international athletes from 208 territories and nations. Additionally, the group feeds the competition’s support teams, officials and volunteers.
For 2024, leadership over the food program set a goal of reducing the carbon footprint of meals produced during the Olympics by 50%, in comparison to the 2012 Games. To help meet the goal, a quarter of all ingredients, 20% of those being certified organic, were sourced within a 250-kilometer radius of Paris.
