The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics takes place today, but athletes are already facing some challenges. Hosting the games involves years of preparation—like investing $1.5 billion into cleaning up the polluted Seine. But what they might have not been prepared for was the volume of food needed to feed staff and thousands of athletes.
According to the BBC, the French newspaper L'Équipe, reported that competitors said that there wasn't enough food available, specifically eggs and grilled meats. On Wednesday, eggs were rationed.
Andy Anson, chief executive of Team Great Britain told The Telegraph that there isn't enough eggs, chicken, or certain carbohydrates, and that raw meat has been served to athletes.
The BBC added that the official Olympic Village catering partner, Sodexo Live!, said that "volumes will be increased" to "satisfy the needs of the athletes."
“At the beginning of every Games there’s usually two or three issues—the big one this time is the food in the village, which is not adequate," Anson told The Telegraph.
To prepare, The Telegraph reports that the The British Olympic Association hired catering at its performance lodge in Clichy. Athletes have been traveling there to eat and train instead of eating in the Olympic Village.
Being in optimal condition to compete not only takes years of dedication and training, but it also comes down to diet and food. And athletes often need a lot of food to fuel and recover. The BBC reports that the Olympic Village will serve 13 million meals during the Olympics and Paraolympics.
The games are just kicking off today and there's still several days of competition ahead, so let's hope any food issues get resolved.
