Long queues, food shortage hit Olympic village in Paris

Admin I Sunday, July 28, 2024

PARIS – Germany’s men’s hockey team has slammed the “catastrophic” catering at the Olympic Village in Paris, saying they have had to queue for long times while the food provided wasn’t enough and of poor quality.

“The food is a disaster, to say the least,” national player Christopher Rühr told dpa.

“You queue for an incredibly long time, there are incredibly few stations. And the quality of the food isn’t particularly good either.”

Team captain Mats Grambusch shared his team mate’s view.

“Basically, it just takes an insanely long time because they’re completely overwhelmed at peak times,” he said.

“And then the quality and quantity of the meals aren’t good because there are simply too many people coming at the same time,” Grambusch said, adding: “That’s a bit of a shame.”

Grambusch and Rühr both said the French staff was very friendly, stressing they felt comfortable in the village overall because the sporting conditions were right.

“If you’re looking for something to complain about, then it’s the food situation in the village, which isn’t what you’d expect as a competitive athlete,” Grambusch said.

Rühr added: “We always find a way because we also have food at the apartment and cook something in between. But it’s not very professional, to say the least, and we hope that things will improve quickly.”

Other athletes, including from Team GB, have also complained about the catering at the Olympic Village in recent days, saying the food available was insufficient.

Germany’s men’s hockey team kicked off their Olympic campaign with a dominant 8:2 victory over hosts France.

They are scheduled to play Spain on Saturday.