When it came to food during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt knew what he liked, and he liked a lot of it. The world’s fastest man estimated that, during those Games, he devoured approximately 1,000 Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s.
The math: He was there for 10 days and ate 100 of the crispy chicken chunks a day.
“At first I ate a box of 20 for lunch, then another for dinner,” he wrote in “Faster Than Lightning,” his 2013 autobiography. “The next day I had two boxes for breakfast, one for lunch and then another couple in the evening. I even grabbed some fries and an apple pie to go with it.”
Food is important for Olympians, and as the curtain rises on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, it has been reported that it is also in short supply.
Some athletes are complaining about limited dining options at the Olympic Village in Paris during meal times on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the French newspaper L’Équipe.
Sodexo Live, the catering partner to Paris 2024, said “volumes will be increased for some items in “very high demand … to satisfy the needs of the athletes,” according to a statement to BBC.
The Olympic kitchen will serve 15,000 athletes during the Games and remain open 24 hours a day. Under the care of Michelin-trained chefs, the kitchen is expected to provide 40 entrees, “plus a salad bar, a grill, a cheese cart, a boulangerie, a hot bar, a dessert bar and a fruit stand,” according to the Washington Post.
Once in full swing, it will serve about 40,000 meals a day and close to 13 million meals in total over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
For now at least, the supply chain is no match for the appetites of the competitors.
As of Wednesday morning, eggs were reportedly being rationed to ease the shortage and grilled meats were said to be in limited supply as athletes begin to arrive ahead of competition. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Friday.
The Carrefour group, the food supplier for the village, told the BBC it is working to “revise upwards the quantities initially planned,” of certain foods and is expected to “satisfy” demand.
In an effort to make the Games greener, 80 per cent of the food and beverages served will be and 100 per cent of “fruits, vegetables, cereals, meat, eggs and dairy products” will be sourced from France, according to INSEAD.
Plans and preparations to feed a legion of international athletes have been years in the making. Michelin-starred chef Amandine Chaignot, Alexandre Mazzia and Akrame Benallal helped craft the extensive menu. It is primarily plant-based and inspired by traditional French cuisine and reinvented stadium fare.
More than 500 dishes will be on offer, including a herby chickpea pomade, crunchy quinoa muesli and a “not dogs,” a meatless hot dog made with onions and pickled cabbage.
Like we said, food is important to Olympians.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home,” U.S. skier Gus Kenworthy recently told NBC, “and it’s that way at the Olympics.”