Adam Peaty has sensationally claimed that athletes have been finding worms in their fish at the Olympic village in a scathing attack on the food standards in Paris. The 29-year-old is far from the only Olympian to complain about the meals on offer at the athletes’ base, which appears to have split opinion among sports stars.
It was reported last week that athletes were left frustrated by a shortage of meat and eggs, two staples of their diet in most cases given the need for protein. There has also reportedly been a lack of bottled water with organisers forced to ration their supplies despite the hot weather in Paris.
Peaty, who took the silver medal in the 100 metre breaststroke, has since claimed that some athletes are finding worms in their fish in a damning assessment of the quality and quantity of food in the Olympic village.
He also believes that a pledge to make 60 per cent of all meals served meatless and a third of meals plant-based is making it difficult for athletes to stick to their normal diets.
Speaking to i, Peaty said: “The narrative of sustainability has just been punished on the athletes. I want to meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change? 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. I just want people to get better at their roles and jobs and I think that’s what the athletes are the best sounding board for.”
It was recently reported that Team GB flew in extra chefs from the UK to cook for their athletes, with many boycotting the food on offer in the Olympic village. Some athletes were said to have refused to eat in a number of restaurants due to supply shortages and being served undercooked meat.
“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” added Peaty. “We need to give the best we possibly can. 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.
“These [complaints] are for people to get better and the organising committee, so we’ll put these back to our team in full depth and detail. But it’s definitely been the best Games in terms of fans engaged with it, so you never going to have a perfect Games.”
A spokesperson for Paris 2024 was quoted as saying: “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 have been significantly increased and additional staff have been deployed to ensure that the service runs smoothly.”