In between those fleeting, action-packed moments where Olympians compete to score medals in swimming, diving and the hundreds of other events at the Paris Olympics, well, they’ve got to eat.
While Olympian icons like Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky and NBA all stars gather within one of the dining capitals of the world, they’re also digging into meals, snacks, desserts and more provided by the culinary team at the Olympic Village.
French catering company Sodexo Live is in charge of feeding an estimated 40,000 meals a day to 15,000 people for the games, and it’s brought on partner chefs Amandine Chaignot, Akrame Benallal and Alexandre Mazzia — who owns three-time Michelin-starred restaurant AM —to help in the massive undertaking.
At the Paris Olympics, athletes from around the world are gathering to break baguettes in the same space, and are dishing on social media about what they like (and dislike) about the food.
Olympic champion Lee Kiefer, who just won gold in Women’s Individual Foil Fencing, filmed one of her meals on July 23, prior to her big win.
“Back to Asia,” Keifer says of the food on her plate, which includes sticky rice, chicken tikka, curry beef and vegetables, before saying “and an extra cup to soak my retainers,” with a knowing grin.
“I think there’s some misconceptions on what athletes eat,” says Ilona Maher, an American rugby player, in a July 26 TikTok, showing off three dishes full of various foods from the cafeteria. “We eat a lot of carbs.”
Maher then shows off her meal which includes a bread roll, a croissant and a crêpe. A bowl with slices of cheese sits in the foreground, mirroring a video she made declaring her love for cheese at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“Fuel up, don’t stay hungry,” she says.
And Maher isn’t the only repeat food-vlogger Olympian: Erik Shoji, an American volleyball player, also previously shared his go-to eats at the Tokyo Games.
This year, the libero continued the tradition by posting multiple video blogs in Paris where he showed off a post-match win dinner consumed at midnight as well as a recent breakfast.
“Good morning. It’s time for breakfast: fruit and the main event,” Shoji says in a TikTok posted July 29, showing off a bowl of fruit he says is “pretty fresh,” as well as a plate with a croissant and a slice of Matcha cake.
The volleyball player gives his ketchup-doused eggs a “better than average” review and shows off a bite of rice and sausage, which he also says is pretty good. Although he appears to enjoy his baked goods, he is surprised that the croissant doesn’t have the flaky crunch he was expecting.
Meanwhile, one athlete found love at the Olympics — with a muffin. Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has posted not one, not two, but eight whole videos about the chocolate muffins from the dining hall.
Christiansen initially posted an 11 out of 10 review for the “choccy muffin” on July 25 — and then posted about it again later that day, and also on July 27, July 28 (twice ... nay, thrice) and July 29, showing that his obsession with the chocolaty treat only seems to be growing.
But, of course, not all reviews are as positive as Christiansen’s. Many athletes have had critical things to say about the food being served in the Olympic Village.
After the U.S. women won goldin the team gymnastics event on July 30, a reporter asked the five gymnasts whether they were enjoying the food.
The women looked at each other, hesitating, before Simone Biles offered a diplomatic response.
“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,” she said. “For the athletes, it’s a little bit ... healthier.”
Her teammate Hezly Riveraoffered more direct response.
“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.”
Biles jumped in to say she “thought the pizza was good.”
In a July 22 TikTok touring the cafeteria, Aleah Finnegan, a gymnast competing for the Philippines, says, “Honestly, the food here, it’s good; it’s not really ... seasoned. Personal preference, that’s me.”
On July 26, Raven “Hulk” Sanders, a Team USA track and field star, shared a video with the popular TikTok sound, “you disappointed me,” showing their distaste for an unidentifiable blackened food item on a stick.
On July 29, American swimmers Abbey Weitzeil and Phoebe Bacon decided to avoid the dining hall and make their own lunch on the roof of their building.
“Come with us to get creative with our lunch today,” Weitzeil says at the start of the TikTok video. “Because we can’t get ourselves to go into the dining hall today.” (Bacon interjects with, “The dining hall is scary.”)
The bakery runs out of baguettes, so they grab rolls, head to the roof, and whip up egg, ham and cheese sandwiches on an electric griddle.
An Olympic food shortage?
There have also been reports of food shortages at the Olympic Village. Athletes told French newspaper L’Equipe that the cafeteria was rationing eggs.
Because of this, some athletes, like members of Team Great Britain (and the two aforementioned American swimmers), have decided to skip the food hall entirely.
“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,” Andy Anson, chief of the British Olympic Association, told the Times of London on July 25, adding that they’ve had to bring in private chefs at their performance base in the Paris suburb Clichy.
“They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically,” he said.
Paris Olympics organizers said on July 29 they have rectified the early logistical issues.
“Regarding the food we’ve had to make some adjustments, which is normal in operations that size,” Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois told a press conference.
“Certain products, such as eggs and grilled meats, are particularly popular among athletes, so their quantities were increased, in agreement with Paris 2024,” a spokesperson for Sodexo Live tells TODAY.com. “Since then, the quantities offered for these products were adapted accordingly and have been sufficient to meet all needs.”
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