A British Olympic swimmer claims athletes at the Paris Olympics have found worms in fish they were served in the Olympic Village cafeteria.
On Aug. 6, Adam Peaty spoke to U.K. news outlet i about living in the Olympic Village, and he said the food was inadequate, adding that Team Great Britain was “blindsided” by the difficulties of living on campus.
“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” he told i. “Tokyo, the food was incredible, Rio was incredible.” But, he continued, at this year’s Games, there weren’t enough protein options and they had to wait “30 minutes for food because there’s no queuing system.”
Peaty said in the interview that he thinks the Paris Olympics’ pledge to focus on plant based dishes have made it difficult for athletes like himself to eat how they usually do, adding that the protein offerings have been sub-par.
“I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?” Peaty says. “I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.”
Organizers told i that they had “no information to be able to confirm the specific allegation” regarding worms in the fish, and Team Great Britain told the outlet there were no worm sightings reported to its staff.
Finding a worm in fish is a natural occurrence and doesn’t necessarily indicate that the fish is spoiled. The FDA notes that the “safest route” is to cook your seafood rather than consume it raw.
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Representatives for Paris 2024 did not respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on whether worms were found or reported in the fish served on-site.
The six-time Olympic medalist, who tied for silver with American Nic Fink in the 100-meter breaststroke, said his comments on the food and its quality were “for people to get better.”
Representatives for Peaty did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.
“We remind everyone that Paris 2024 catering operations are subject to regular inspections by the food safety authorities, and we have also contracted a private inspection company to carry out additional checks,” a representative for Paris 2024 tells TODAY.com in an email, adding that they are aware of the Olympian’s comments.
The organization says its priority is to meet the needs of athletes from around the world to enable them to compete at their best.
Regarding food in Olympic Village, the representative says the 550 dishes on offer in the dining hall were developed together with the national Olympic committees and the IOC. The development, they say, took more than a year.
“We are listening to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously,” the representative says. “Since the opening of the Village, our partner Sodexo Live! has been working proactively to adapt supplies to the growing use of the Olympic Village restaurants, as well as to the actual consumption by athletes observed over the first few days.”
Olympic food shortage
There have been reports of food shortages at the Olympic Village, with Team GB telling French newspaper L’Equipe on July 24 that the cafeteria was rationing eggs. Many athletes have critiqued the offerings — Simone Biles said she thought the “healthier” food in the cafeteria might not be “proper French cuisine.”
Some athletes have chosen to skip the cafeteria offerings entirely: American swimmers Abbey Weitzeil and Phoebe Bacon cooked their own ham and cheese sandwiches on the roof of their athletes village building after calling the food hall “scary.”
The rest of Team GB also reportedly hired private chefs for their performance base in the Paris suburb Clichy. Andy Anson, chief of the British Olympic Association, told the Times of London on July 25 that there weren’t “enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates,” and also criticized the quality of the food, claiming that “raw meat” was being served to Olympians.
“They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically,” he said.
According to Reuters, Paris Olympics organizers said on July 29 they had rectified the early logistical issues with the supply chain.
On June 30, a spokesperson for Sodexo Live told TODAY.com that it had increased the quantities of eggs, grilled meats and other popular items.
“Since then, the quantities offered for these products were adapted accordingly and have been sufficient to meet all needs,” the representative said.
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