Food is something everyone enjoys and something that gives us many benefits. A lot of athletes eat well-balanced meals before big games or practices because it gives them energy to perform in their sport and helps prevent fatigue, decrease hunger, and keep you hydrated. The Olympics is the biggest event in any athletes lifetime and they should be provided with well-balanced meals before their event to perform well, but that isn’t the case this year.

Due to Covid-19 many of the athletes in Beijing aren’t getting the well-balance meals they need to perform good, instead they are getting pre-prepared meals in little trays that are served in the cafeteria in elementary school. The first we saw of this was from Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova, when she posted on her Instagram a picture of the food they were getting served which shows plain pasta, meat, a few potatoes, and a sauce. When I saw this picture it didn’t look appetizing to me and something I wouldn’t want to eat but like Vasnetsova they didn’t have a choice because that was the only meal they would get due to the protocols.

In Vasnetsova post she claims, that she wasn’t just served this meal for one day it was continuously “breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five days already.” She also included how her stomach hurt because of the lack of nutrition the food has causing her to lose weight and not gain the energy she needs to compete and be an healthy athlete.

Vasnetsove wasn’t the only athlete to complain about the receptive and unappetizing meals they were given. Due to her complaints she luckily got a better meal over the weekend according to Associated Press which included salmon and cucumbers and will be given different meals for the rest of the event including other athletes.