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Athletes Are Complaining About Awful Food at the Olympic Village

THE HUNGER GAMES

The situation is so bad the British team chiefs have had to fly in an extra chef to feed the competitors.

Union Jack flags hanging on a building are pictured at the Olympic village, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Benoit Tessier/Reuters

French visitors to the U.K. have long complained about the atrocious food, but the tables appear to have been turned at the Paris Olympics. British team chiefs say they have had to fly in an extra chef because athletes disappointed by the food on offer at the Olympic Village are taking their meals instead at the British training base on the outskirts of Paris. Andy Anson, CEO of the British Olympic Association, told The Times of London that the food in the village was simply “not adequate.” The newspaper noted that Paris organizers had promised Michelin-standard cooking but athletes complained about long queues and small portions. “There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates, and then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes,” Anson said. “They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically.” One athlete, who asked not to be named, described the “chaos” in the 3,300-seat restaurant. “They are saying the Games are more sustainable and there is way more plant-based food but sometimes if you go at peak times it’s challenging to even get a piece of chicken.”

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