Paris Olympics 2024. (AP Photo)
Reports suggest that the Indian athletes competing in Paris 2024 Olympics will be provided specially curated Indian cuisine to their athletes.
As the pressure of the highly-anticipated Paris 2024 Olympics comes upon the various Indian athletes, a big positive for the nation’s competitors will be the fact that they will have access to a carefully curated menu which comprises Indian cuisine which will give them a homely feeling during their respective competitions.
A report from the Indian Express revealed the kind of cuisine the Indian athletes would be provided as they aim to bring home medals at the highly competitive Paris 2024 Olympics. As said in the report, “In a first, in the dining halls of the Athletes Village will be specially curated steamed Basmati rice, dal, roti, aloo-gobi, gently-spiced Indian-style chicken curry and an assortment of South Asian broths”.
The chef de mission, Shiva Keshavan also revealed that the menu for the Indian athletes was given to the organisers in Paris during the meeting with the Indian Olympic Association. This would allow the athletes to feel at home when going up against the very best among the various nations as the athletes compete for the top prize and bring honour to their respective nations.
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Keshavan was quoted saying, “Many of our recommendations for a modified menu to include Indian dishes were accepted. Each one was cleared by a nutritionist”.
“Food tends to be a big issue with our athletes. Of course, at the Olympics, you can engage with cuisines from all over the world in the main dining area. But we pressed the organisers to include a wider South Asian menu for our athletes. Athletes are anyway out of their comfort zones (while travelling), but food shouldn’t be a surprise sprung on them,” Keshavan added.
The Indian athletes are suggested to have had to settle with East and West Asian cuisines traditionally which isn’t something the athletes fussed about, but ended up not meeting their nutritional requirements.
The report also highlighted that the IOA will have a streamlined channel of communication where they highlight their issues and raise protests if needed. The athletes are also said to be given strict social media protocols. Keshavan was quoted, “We will have clear guidelines on what is okay to post on social media, and what is not. People want to see them in the Village and know their experience. But we will brief them about the confidential information that they may be privy to but can’t post”.