Adam Peaty Says Athletes Have Found Worms in Their Meals at the Olympic Village
Triple gold medallist, three-time Olympian, and MH cover star Adam Peaty has spoken out about the quality of the catering at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Peaty, who was diagnosed with COVID after his silver medal placing in the breaststroke and finished fourth in the 4x100m medley relay, has claimed that the organisers ‘sustainability pledge’ — aiming to make 60 per cent of all meals served meatless — may have had a detrimental effect on athletes’ performance. In an interview with i, Peaty stated, ‘The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can.’
No stranger to the Olympic spotlight or Olympic catering halls, Peaty compared Paris to his previous outings on the world stage. ‘Tokyo, the food was incredible, Rio was incredible. But this time around there weren’t enough protein options.’ Peaty also cited logistics as a pain when it comes to chowing down at the Games, adding that there were: ‘Long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queuing system.’
Peaty added that the sustainability pledge and plant-based push have meant that he’s struggled to find adequate protein sources during the Games: ‘The narrative of sustainability has just been pushed onto the athletes. I want to eat meat, I need meat to perform, and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?’
However, he commented that others have had a slightly different issue, finding an unexpected and unwanted source of protein in their meals. ‘I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.’
It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though; Peaty added that he’d been enjoying the reception to the Paris Games from the larger world: ‘It’s definitely been the best Games in terms of fans engaging with it. You’re never gonna have a perfect Games.’
A spokesperson from Paris 2024 responded to Peaty's claims, commenting: ‘We are listening to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously.’
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