Paris Olympics 2024: French gastronomy, but no French fries, to be served to athletes

Junk-food lovers will have to venture out of the Olympic Village – French cuisine will be the focus; half of all dishes will be vegetarian

Reading Time:2 minutes

Dishes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Village restaurant. Athletes will be offered the chance to discover French gastronomy – but those in search of French fries are going to be out of luck. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:40am, 28 Jun 2024Updated: 12:25pm, 28 Jun 2024

There will be no French fries but plenty of lentils offered to athletes attending the Paris Olympics, with organisers this week unveiling a food selection that combines eco-minded recipes with French gastronomy.

The giant 3,300-seat restaurant at the Paris Olympic Village, which will welcome athletes next month, was given its first test run by a hungry crowd of sports figures, officials and journalists.

Based in a vast former power station, the food hall includes six different dining areas offering meals from around the globe, with half of the 50 dishes available each day being 100 per cent vegetarian.

“People are going to meet here in France, with its culture, its heritage but also its gastronomy and so there are expectations,” chief Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet says.

Chief Paris Olympics 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet at the Olympic Village restaurant this week. Photo: AFP

Although many athletes would stick to their usual nutrition before competing, they will also be offered the chance to discover France’s famed food, with several Michelin-star chefs taken on as advisers.