Paris 2024: Adam Peaty claims athletes found worms in their food

Adam Peaty has claimed athletes at Paris 2024 have found worms in their food as he criticised inadequate catering at the Olympic village. The six-time Olympic medallist complained about the quantity and quality of food on offer as he said it would affect the performances of athletes.

“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” he told the i. “We need to give the best we possibly can.

[In] Tokyo the food was incredible. Rio was incredible. But this time around? There wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queueing system.”

As part of the Games’ sustainability pledges organisers have aimed to make 60% of all meals served meatless and a third plant-based, but Peaty said that did not work for him. “The narrative of sustainability has just been pushed on the athletes,” he said. “I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?

“I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough. The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re not feeding them the best.”

A Paris 2024 spokesperson told the i: “We are listening to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously. 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. As a result, the quantities of certain products has been significantly increased and additional staff have been deployed to ensure the service runs smoothly.”