Truly support
independent journalism
Our mission is to provide unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds the powerful to account and exposes the truth.
Whether it's $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us in offering journalism without agenda.
Olympic athletes share their honest thoughts on the food served at the Olympic Village in Paris.
On social media, several athletes are giving their opinions about the canteen, which is run by Sodexo Live. During the Olympic Games, the food company is not only responsible for meals in the Olympic Village, but also offers its catering services “for spectators, organisation staff and athletes at 14 competition venues,” according to the brand's official website.
According to several Olympians, however, the food at the Olympic Village is nothing special. In a TikTok video, Team USA volleyball player Erik Shoji showed off one of his late-night dinners at the food hall after his first match. He started by sampling his pasta with pesto sauce, acknowledging that the noodles were “actually not overcooked,” so “it was good.”
Then he ate some pieces of broccoli, which also didn't impress him. “It tasted like steamed broccoli,” he said simply.
Shoji also had similar thoughts about the grilled chicken, adding, “It also tastes as one would expect. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great.”
The athlete concluded his video by eating the last thing on his plate, grilled tofu, which he “could barely cut.”
“It’s not a big deal, but it’s okay,” he said of the tofu. “It’s okay, guys. It’s really late at night. Only one section of the dining room was open. So far, the food has been good. It’s 12:30 at night, I’m going to finish this meal and go to bed.”
In another TikTok video, Olympic gymnast Aleah Finnegan, who competes for the Philippines, documented her experience at the Olympic Village. After filming her tour of the food hall, she sat down with her tray and expressed her mixed opinions about the food.
“The food is actually good, but it’s not very seasoned,” he said. “There’s a condiment station there. It’s not bad, it’s pretty basic… It’s pretty good, it’s good food. It probably just needs a little bit of seasoning. It’s a matter of personal taste, that’s what I say.”
Team USA track star Raven Saunders, however, doesn't like food at all. As the caption above her TikTok video read: “Eating at the Olympics is like…” she held up what appeared to be a piece of burnt meat on a stick. The video was set to the tune: “You let me down.”
Saunders still found humor in the situation, as her caption read: “It's been a struggle,” along with an emoji of a crying and laughing face.
However, there is one treat that is a fan favorite among Olympians: a chocolate muffin. In a TikTok video shared by Team USA fencer Lee Kiefer, she had the chocolate muffin as a dessert and gave it a five-star rating.
Meanwhile, Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has also praised the chocolate muffin, giving it an 11 out of 10 star rating on TikTok. Days later, he posted another funny video of himself in his bed, as he was caught eating another of the desserts. The video then revealed that he kept at least four of those chocolate muffins in one of his drawers, before Christiansen jokingly raised his hand towards the camera.
As well as the Olympians, British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson has also shared his candid views on the food in the Olympic Village. The times that the food is “not adequate,” before stating that it needs to be “dramatically” improved.
“There is not enough of certain foods – eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates – and then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to the athletes,” he said. “Our athletes have decided that they prefer to eat at our competition hall in Clichy, so we are having to hire another chef because the demand is far beyond what we thought it would be.”
