Gold Medalist Swimmer Says Worms Were Found ‘in the Fish’ at Olympic Village: Report

Getty Adam Peaty.

Olympic swimming great Adam Peaty told the British news site i News that people found “worms in the fish” at the Olympic Village in Paris.

According to i News, Peaty attributed the food problems in part to “Paris 2024’s climate pledges – to make 60 percent of all meals served at the Games meatless and a third plant-based.”

“The narrative of sustainability has just been punished on the athletes. I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change?” Peaty told the site.

“I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough,” Peaty told i News.

However, a spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics told i News that it had not received any complaints of people finding “worms in food” being made to staff. Furthermore, the French catering company Sodexo Live! and Olympic Committee denied the accusation to TMZ Sports.

“There has been zero proof of the truthfulness of this statement, which obviously raises a rather serious allegation. There is no information that’s been able to provide validity to this sensationalist claim,” the Olympic Committee responded to TMZ Sports.

According to his Olympics.com bio, Peaty is “widely considered the greatest men’s breaststroke swimmer in history” and “boasts three Olympic gold medals, eight world titles, and a string of world records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events.”

According to i News in the United Kingdom, Peaty told the site that the British team was “blindsided” with issues at the Olympic Village, especially the food, which he did not believe was “adequate.”

“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can,” Peaty told i News.

“Tokyo, the food was incredible, Rio was incredible. But this time around … there wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queuing system,” he said.

Adam Peaty Believes the Athletes Were Not Fed ‘the Best’

GettyBritain’s Adam Peaty.

Peaty made other comments panning the food.

“The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re feeding them not the best,” he told i News.

“I just want people to get better at their roles and jobs. And I think that’s what the athletes are the best sounding board for.”

A Paris 2024 spokesperson told i News that organizers are taking concerns “very seriously” and have already made changes to the food. They later told the site that they had “no information to be able to confirm the specific allegation” from Peaty nor any reports of “worms in food” made to staff.

“The 550 dishes on offer in the Dining Hall were developed together with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC over a period of more than a year,” the Olympic Committee said, according to TMZ Sports. “We always listen to the athletes and take their feedback very seriously. Paris 2024 continues to liaise closely with the nutritionists of the National Olympic Committees and is ready to make any further adjustments needed to the food service.”

Adam Peaty Holds 2 World Records

GettyAdam Peaty.

According to Olympics.com, Peaty “had enjoyed a consistent ascent to swimming stardom. Born in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England, his childhood love for swimming blossomed into a remarkable career. In 2014, he shattered the 50m world record at the European Championships and won gold in the 100m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games.”

Peaty was “the first man to swim under 57 seconds in the 100m breaststroke,” the site reported, adding that he holds two world records and one Olympic record.

He won two gold medals in Paris, according to Olympics.com.