What foods will athletes consume at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will host 10,500 athletes competing in various sports, including swimming, archery, gymnastics, running, cycling, and volleyball. With such a large number of competitors, proper nutrition is vital for preparation and recovery. At the Olympic Village, approximately 40,000 meals are served daily to athletes and support staff. During the summer games, athletes can choose from around 500 recipes across four culinary themes: French (with two options per day), Asian, African-Caribbean, and World (also featuring two options). These cuisines cater to various dietary restrictions, nutritional requirements, and cultural necessities.

There is a wide selection available. The French menu includes options like veggie bourguignon—a vegetable stew in a rich red wine sauce—and brandade de morue, a classic mashed potato dish with salt cod. The Asian cuisine features a ground pork dish with Thai basil accompanied by basmati rice and roasted turmeric vegetables. For the African-Caribbean theme, athletes can enjoy fried shrimp with sautéed peppers, onions, and tomatoes along with a North African garlic-herb chermoula sauce. The World cuisine offers daily selections such as lamb in mint sauce and vegetable moussaka.

In addition to main courses, the dining hall boasts various stations for fruit, salads, pastries, and desserts. Athletes can customize their meals with options from salad bars, grill stations, condiment bars, and much more—featuring a total of 85 different choices.

Sodexo Live, part of the Sodexo group, is in charge of catering the Olympic Games. The larger company offers food services and facilities management across various sectors like education, government, healthcare, and business, while Sodexo Live specifically caters to venues such as stadiums, arenas, and convention centers.

A team of chefs plays a crucial role in menu planning. Leading the culinary effort are Sodexo executive chefs Charles Guilloy and Stephane Chicheri, alongside renowned French chefs Akrame Benallal, Amandine Chaignot, and Alexandre Mazzia. They collaborated on creating the menu, initially designed to feature nine culinary themes and approximately 1,000 recipes, with insights from sports nutritionists and the Paris 2024 Athletes Commission. Dietary recommendations were also provided by major delegations from countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, and China.

In a move towards sustainability and climate awareness, the main dining area will not use disposable plates for the first time. Around one-third of the menu will consist of plant-based options, 30% will be organic, and all but 20% of the ingredients will be sourced from French suppliers. Notably, avocados are excluded from the menu due to their long transportation routes, while only bananas, chocolate, and coffee will be imported from afar.

While the primary focus of the catering at the Olympic Village is to provide athletes with the necessary energy, the culinary selections also allow the host country to highlight its culinary heritage through gastrodiplomacy. This approach involves using food as a tool to create a positive public image, foster relationships, and share cultural experiences.

The concept of gastrodiplomacy was notably showcased during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where the diverse array of California produce, limitless servings, and food reflecting various immigrant communities characterized the Olympic Village. Similarly, at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, the inclusion of kimchi played a significant role in popularizing this dish worldwide, while the Tokyo Olympic Village featured a dedicated hall for Japanese cuisine, offering athletes dishes like dumplings, spring rolls, ramen, and fish-free sushi.

In Paris, French cuisine will take center stage, featuring a cheese station and an abundant supply of croissants. An in-house bakery will produce up to 800 baguettes daily to replicate the charm and aroma of a French streetscape. Beyond the regular offerings, the organizing chefs will host events to showcase various French dishes, and athletes can participate in workshops for bread and pastry making.