An Olympic swimmer has made a claim of alleged "worms" being found in fish served to athletes at the Olympic Village, though so far no definitive proof of such a claim has been shared.
As originally seen in an interview with James Gray for the London-based newspaper i, Adam Peaty of the Great Britain swim team has been quite pleased by how the fans have reacted to the athleticism on display at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. That sense of pleasure, however has not extended to the variety of food he says he's encountered in recent weeks.
Per Peaty, who has three Olympic gold medals to his name, the catered options aren’t simply failing to be "good enough" but are also lacking in terms of protein and timeliness.
"The narrative of sustainability has just been punished on the athletes," Peaty said. "I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?"
As for the alleged quality of the fish, Peaty is quoted as having had this to offer: "I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough."
Notably, in Gray’s piece, it’s noted that officials have not been "able to confirm the specific allegation" involving worms. When reached for comment on Tuesday, a Paris 2024 rep shared the following statement with Complex:
There is no information that’s been able to provide validity to this sensationalist claim. Further, Team GB has confirmed that no such reports have been made to their staff. There was never any question of placing the vegetarian objectives of Paris 2024’s Food Vision on the athletes.
More generally, regarding food in the Village, our priority is to meet the needs of athletes from around the world to enable them to compete at their best. The 550 dishes on offer in the Dining Hall were developed together with the National Olympic Committees (NOC)s and the IOC over a period of more than a year.
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.
This summer's games have been a frequent source of heightened headlines attention, thanks in no small part to Snoop Dogg, who has been a constant presence throughout. His resulting payday, meanwhile, was recently made the subject of intense speculation.