Paris Olympics 2024: Athletes struggling for food at Games Village, reports say

Paris: Since the start of the Paris Olympics, the organising committee has faced significant criticism from international athletes and team members regarding inadequate basic facilities at both the venues and the Games Village.

An athlete, who spoke to IANS on the condition of anonymity, claimed that there is "no food" available in the Games Village when competitors return after their events.

"And when we asked officials of the Organising Committee or volunteers, they had no answers. These basics need to be addressed by the OC (organising committee) urgently," the athlete told IANS.

"We are finding it difficult to explain our requirements. Even a star international tennis player -- can't name him -- also didn't get the food. Which was shocking for all of us," another athlete said. 

Earlier, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics faced considerable backlash for its portrayal of Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper, which featured drag queens among the participants. This depiction has sparked outrage among many, who view it as disrespectful and offensive to their religious beliefs.

The Catholic Church of France expressed its disapproval, starting on its account on X: "Unfortunately, this ceremony contained scenes that mocked Christianity, which we deeply regret."

The organisers later apologised for the controversy surrounding the depiction. PT Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), expressed dissatisfaction with the Opening Ceremony, criticising it for not sufficiently highlighting the athletes.

"In the opening ceremony, the organisers should have focused more on athletes. This is an athlete's event, they should give more importance to players as the attention was on them for only a few seconds, otherwise, everything was good," PT Usha told IANS.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also faced embarrassment when the Olympic flag was mistakenly raised upside down during the opening ceremony. This occurred in front of all delegates at the end of the Parade of Nations route, near the Eiffel Tower. The blunder was far from amusing for the IOC officials.

Regarding the food shortages, the head of the Great Britain delegation raised the issue before the first day of competitions. Many GBR athletes spent the night without food, prompting the delegation chief to urgently dispatch a chef from home to manage their culinary needs for the remainder of the Games.

--IANS