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The Olympic Village in Paris has been at the receiving end of some very mixed reviews from the athletes who’ve stayed there, and Adam Peaty of Great Britain is the latest competitor to pan the food that’s being served thanks in no small part to a stomach-churning discovery.
There were plenty of concerns about the accommodations at the Olympic Village prior to the start of the international showcase, as the decision to eschew air conditioning and use cardboard beds in the name of sustainability led to some athletes (including members of Team USA’s basketball team) opting for alternative lodging out of an abundance of caution.
The cafeteria at the Olympic Village also encountered some issues before the Opening Ceremony even got underway due to a shortage of chicken and eggs, and while Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen gave the chocolate muffins a shining endorsement, other athletes have been a bit more critical of some of the other offerings.
Simone Biles said the food served up at the dining hall pales in comparison to the French cuisine that makes Paris one of the most hallowed dining destinations on the planet, while LSU gymnast Aleah Finnegan bemoaned the lack of seasoning that left her very underwhelmed.
However, those complaints have nothing on an issue Adam Peaty—who won a silver for Great Britain in the 100m breaststroke competition while battling COVID—recently called attention to.
According to I News, Peaty said the food in Paris pales in comparison to what he was able to take advantage of while competing in Rio and Tokyo, noting there “wasn’t enough protein options” while taking issue with the long lines that forced him and other competitors to wait as long as 30 minutes to get their meal.
He also took issue with the quality of one particular form of protein, saying, “I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.”
At the risk of ruining fish for people who aren’t in the know, the presence of parasitic worms is more common than you’d probably think, and they don’t normally pose any real health risk as long as the food is prepared correctly.
With that said, I can’t say I blame Peaty for taking issue with that discovery.
Following the publication of this article, a spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics reached out with the following statement questioning the veracity of Peaty’s worm claim, which reads:
“There is no information that’s been able to provide validity to this sensationalist 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.
More generally, regarding food in the Village, our priority is to meet the needs of athletes from around the world to enable them to compete at their best. The 550 dishes on offer in the Dining Hall were developed together with the National Olympic Committees (NOC)s and the IOC over a period of more than a year.
We always listen to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously. Paris 2024 continues to liaise closely with the nutritionists of the National Olympic Committees and is ready to make any further adjustments needed to the food service.”
I guess you could say we have a… food fight on our hands.