Swimmer Adam Peaty sparks Olympic Village food controversy with 'worms in fish' claim, vendor hits back
PARIS, FRANCE: French cuisine may be known for its eclectic tastes all over the world, but it failed to satisfy the palate of the athletes living in the Olympic Village.
Recently, British swimmer Adam Peaty criticized the food being served in the Games Village cafeteria while calling out the quality.
The silver medalist of the men's 100m breaststroke final, shared with i News that several people found “worms in the fish” at the Olympic Village in Paris. The food vendors for the village, however, have refuted the claims.
Adam Peaty calls out food quality in Paris
Per Heavy, Adam Peaty attributed the troubles with food in the Paris Olympics village to some of the pledges of the organizers.
He attributed some of the problems to “Paris 2024’s climate pledges – to make 60 percent of all meals served at the Games meatless and a third plant-based.”
Peaty continued, “The narrative of sustainability has just been punished 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 defiantly, “I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.”
The outlet reported that Peaty has complained about the food while saying that the athletes have been “blindsided” by the quality.
Per Heavy, Peaty told the site, “The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can.”
The three-time Olympic gold medalist even praised the food of the previous two Olympics, saying, “Tokyo, the food was incredible, Rio was incredible. But this time around… there wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queuing system.”
He continued, “The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re feeding them not the best.”
The British swimmer continued, “I just want people to get better at their roles and jobs. And I think that’s what the athletes are the best-sounding board for.”
Paris 2024 spokesperson denies Adam Peaty’s claims
Though Adam Peaty criticized the food wholeheartedly, a spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics defended their position to i News, saying that they did not receive any complaint of “worms in food.”
Nevertheless, they noted that the organizers are taking the concerns “very seriously” and have facilitated changes.
Per TMZ Sports, the Olympic Committee said, “The 550 dishes on offer in the Dining Hall were developed together with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC over a period of more than a year.”
They continued, “We always listen to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously. Paris 2024 continues to liaise closely with the nutritionists of the National Olympic Committees and is ready to make any further adjustments needed to the food service.”
The company in charge of feeding thousands of athletes at the Paris Olympic Village has spoken out and denied the allegations raised about the quality of their food.
The French catering company Sodexo Live! which is under fire because of this incident claimed Peaty did not have any photographic evidence to support his claims. A panel representing Sodexo Live! has rejected any dispute about the food served in the village cafeteria for the athletes.
"There has been zero proof of the truthfulness of this statement, which obviously raises a rather serious allegation," the committee told TMZ Sports. They further dismissed it as a 'sensationalist claim' and also clarified that they never received any complaints from the Great Britain athletes regarding food.
