Athletes are finding worms in their food at the Olympic village in Paris, according to a British swimmer.
Adam Peaty, a six-time Olympic medalist who won silver in the 100m breaststroke at the 2024 Games, made the extraordinary claim while criticizing the food that those taking part in the tournament are being served. “The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” Peaty told the U.K.’s i newspaper.
“We need to give the best we possibly can,” he said, adding that food at previous Games in Tokyo and Rio was “incredible.” But in Paris, he said: “[T]here wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queuing system.”
Peaty also criticized the impact that a sustainability pledge is having on athletes, with organizers aiming to make 60 percent of all meals served at the Games meat-free and one-third plant-based.
“The narrative of sustainability has just been [pushed] on the athletes. I want meat, I need meat to perform, and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?” he said. “I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.”
A Paris 2024 spokesperson told i that organizers are “listening to the athletes” and taking their feedback 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,” the spokesperson said.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
Peaty’s complaints about the food are just the latest—and grimmest—to come to light. Team GB flew out their own cook after finding food in the village was “not adequate,” the British Olympic Association CEO Andy Anson said last month, while American athletes have shared videos on TikTok taking issue with what’s on offer.
When the U.S. women’s gold medal-winning gymnastics team were asked last week if they were enjoying French food, Simone Biles answered: “OK, here’s the thing. I don’t think we’re having proper French cuisine in the village like you guys might be eating because you’re outside the village.”
Biles’ teammate, Hezly Rivera, was more candid. “I don’t think it’s very good, at least what we’re having in the dining hall,” she said. “I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s the best. But it gets the job done.”
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