Athletes have mixed reviews for the veggie-heavy cafeteria, limited air conditioning and cardboard beds on offer at the Olympic Village north of Paris, which organisers designed to be the most sustainable yet.
Paris 2024's organising committee aimed to cut the event's carbon footprint by half and stage the greenest Games to date.
But that ambition has run into a problem: the huge appetites of meat-loving athletes.
At a trial run at the Olympic Village restaurant in June, Games supremo Tony Estanguet stressed that Paris 2024 was aiming to cut the average carbon emissions per meal in half compared to previous Olympics by offering more vegetarian food.
Promising not to disappoint visitors to a country famed for its gastronomy, the organising committee also took on several Michelin-starred chefs as advisors to work alongside its food contractor, French multinational Sodexo.
But the first few days in the village, located in the suburb of Saint-Denis north of Paris, saw demands for more meat, eggs and bigger helpings as athletes looked to refuel.
"The only issue would be the food shortages," swimmer Julio Horrego from Honduras told French news agency AFP when asked about life in the village. "It's a bit surprising."
Horrego, who says he eats up to 5,000 calories per day, said he turned up for breakfast at 10.30am last Sunday only to find there were no eggs left.
"If you arrive a bit late, then there aren't enough," he said at the entrance to the village, which can house 10,500 athletes in its roughly 40 blocks.
More meat
Romanian rower Iulian Chelaru gave a clear answer when asked if there was anything missing: meat.
"We didn't have enough meat, but now it's solved," he added.
Meanwhile, German swimmer Lucas Matzerath said that the size of helpings was also increasing. "At the start there were not very big portions for people, but it's improved now," he said.
The food hall includes six different dining areas offering meals from around the globe, with half of the 50 dishes available each day 100 percent vegetarian.
"We enjoy our greens, so it's not a problem," Canadian beach volleyball player Sophie Bukovec said as she left the complex.
"Some of the athletes are big meat-eaters. They're trying to sort it out. There is protein, you just have to know where to find it."
Sodexo said on Wednesday that it had adjusted its menus.
"Eggs and grilled meat dishes have been in high demand, so volumes have been increased significantly," a spokesperson for the group said. "For several days now the quantities offered are in line with demand."
Hot air
The vegetarian-heavy food offering is not the only difference in the Paris village compared with previous editions.
The housing complex, which will be converted into apartments after the Games, was built without air-conditioning and instead has an underfloor cooling system.
But faced with forecasts for a heatwave, the organisers compromised and allowed teams to order portable air-conditioning units at their own expense.
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Teams including the US, Great Britain, the Netherlands and France have opted to install the temporary coolers for their athletes, but others are having to do without, amid temperatures that climbed above 30°C midweek with high humidity.
"I suffer in the hot weather, but up until now I've slept well with just a fan," said Italian beach volleyball player Marta Menegatti. "AC would be better for recovery, though."
Cardboard beds
Other athletes have found the innovative Japanese-made beds in the village tricky to adjust to.
Their bases are made from cardboard and the mattresses from recycled plastic including fish nets, leading some to joke in the past that they were "anti-sex" and designed to stop athletes jumping between the sheets.
"My bed is too hard, it's not the best," said Spanish handballer Lysa Tchaptchet.
Others were enthusiastic about the efforts made by Paris 2024 organising committee to be more sustainable, including by cutting emisions and making sure all of the equipment – including the beds – can be recycled or reused afterwards.
"I really enjoy it and like what they've done in the village," said Signe Bro, a Danish swimmer.
"It does the job now but it's great to know for us athletes how it will be used in the future, and that it has been built in a sustainable way.
"You can laugh about the beds, but it's good to know you don't have 10,000 beds left over at the end."
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(with AFP)
