Paris Olympics 2024: Athletes raise concerns about being served raw meat, Olympics struggle with food shortages

As the Paris Olympics progress, athletes face an unexpected hurdle, severe food shortages and raw meat being served at the Games Village. Reports from French newspaper L’Équipe and the BBC highlight significant issues with food supplies, including the rationing of eggs at breakfast and a lack of grilled meats. The task of feeding 15,000 athletes from 208 nations, along with their support teams, officials, and volunteers, has proven monumental.

As per news reports, Sodexo Live, the catering service responsible for providing over 13 million meals, manages six main dining areas offering various international cuisines.However, the high demand has outstripped supply. The situation has prompted the caterer to acknowledge the intense demand and work towards increasing food volumes. Carrefour, tasked with supplying fresh produce, has been asked to elevate quantities to meet the growing need.

However, despite these efforts, the specific dietary requirements of high-performance athletes have led to a supply-demand mismatch. Many competitors have expressed dissatisfaction with portion sizes and the lack of high-protein options.


Andy Anson, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, highlighted issues such as raw meat being served and inadequate food quality. These concerns have prompted organisers to ramp up efforts to address the shortages.

The news reports also highlight that approximately 40,000 meals are prepared daily in the Games Village, which has a dining facility seating up to 3,300 people. Despite meticulous planning, the high volume and specific needs of athletes have created significant challenges. The Paris Olympics have imposed a strict quality charter for food, aiming to halve the carbon footprint of meals compared to the London 2012 Games. This includes sourcing all meat, milk, and eggs from France and ensuring a third of the food is plant-based.

The food shortages have significantly impacted British athletes, with reports of a boycott of the Olympic Village's food in Paris. Team Great Britain (GB) members have refused to eat in several restaurants due to supply shortages and being served uncooked meat. In response, Team GB bosses are flying in extra chefs from the UK to cook for the athletes at their performance centre.

As per L’Équipe, Andy has said that the athletes have decided rather to go and eat in their performance lodge in Clichy, and thus another chef is being called over as the demand is far exceeding what they thought it would be. “The athletes are not going there just to eat their lunch; they are packing meals for their dinner as they don’t want to go into the athlete's restaurant to eat. So we are trying to ensure our athletes have an advantage by having more food. It is the biggest issue at the moment.”

Olympic chiefs had previously boasted that around 40,000 meals would be prepared daily in the village. However, the largest restaurant venue was said to have only 3,300 seats, further complicating the food supply issue.

The situation underscores the logistical challenges of hosting a global event like the Olympics, especially when catering to the specific dietary needs of elite athletes. As organisers scramble to resolve the food shortages, the athletes’ focus remains on competing at the highest level, despite the hurdles they face off the field.

As per a leading daily, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials have revealed that the topic of food shortage is being blown out of proportion. As per IOA, there may have been some cases of food shortage in the Athletes Village, but they have confirmed that nobody has been left hungry, and Indian athletes are getting vegetarian food there to meet their nutrition demands.
(Imags courtesy: Stock)