“The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re feeding them not the best.”
He added: “I just want people to get better at their roles and jobs. And I think that’s what the athletes are the best sounding board for.”
But it wasn’t just the hygiene problems that Peaty raised concerns over.
For athletes performing at such a high level, getting enough food in a balanced diet is an essential part of ensuring they’re in peak condition to compete at their best.
Frequent swimmers may know how you can come out of a swim feeling so hungry you could walk into a kebab shop, stick your front teeth into the meat, and let the rotisserie do the rest.
You can imagine the kind of carefully balanced nutrition and calorie intake that athletes need to perform well and to have enough energy.
Peaty claimed that it’s simply not up to that standard, saying: “The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can.
“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 queuing system.”
He added that he had drawn attention to it ‘for people to get better’.
A Paris 2024 spokesperson said: “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 have been significantly increased and additional staff have been deployed to ensure that the service runs smoothly.”
