Beijing hotel manager calls food at his own restaurant ‘disgusting’
A hotel manager has called the restaurant food at his own restaurant inside the Beijing Winter Olympics bubble “disgusting”.
The admission comes after several athletes and staff recently took to social media platforms to complain about the quality of food served to them at the Beijing Games.
Manager admitted fresh fruit was in short supply while no snacks or food allowed from outside, reported CNN.
Describing the food in their own restaurants as “disgusting”, the unnamed manager said snacks and shoddy packaged toiletries were sometimes available at the Main Media Center canteen, which remains mostly half-empty.
The admission of the hotel manager seems to confirm the complaints raised by the athletes since the start of the Games.
Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova had shared photos of the meal she had received for “breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already” in the quarantine facility and said she was crying every day.
“I’m very pale and have huge dark circles around my eyes. I want this all to end. I cry every day, ”she said, sharing the photo which she later removed.
She said she only ate pasta ‘because it’s just impossible to eat the rest of the food’, making her ‘sleep all day because I can’t even get out of bed “.
She went on to say that her “bones stick out” from having lost “a lot of weight.”
A robot-powered restaurant operates at games to minimize contact amid Covid fears, but is often overcrowded with people taking photos and videos.
German team boss Dirk Schimmelpfennig told the media that living conditions were “unacceptable”, complaining of a lack of cleanliness and poor quality food. However, he said organizers addressed their concerns later.
Finland men’s ice hockey team coach Jukka Jalonen said one player, Marko Anttila, was “not receiving food” after testing positive for Covid.
Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans broke down in a video shared to her Instagram in which she said she felt confused about Covid protocols in Beijing after testing positive on arrival.
She later tested negative and thought she might leave for the village after spending days in solitary confinement.
She was, however, taken to a separate government facility. Following her emotional appeal, she was released from solitary confinement and began her practice.
In a statement, the International Olympic Committee said it was aware of the issues raised by the athletes “particularly with regard to temperature, variety and size of food”.
“The issues are currently being addressed with Beijing 2022 and the respective management of the affected facilities,” the statement said.
“We feel for every athlete who is unable to compete due to Covid-19 infection. Protocols have been put in place to ensure a safe Olympic Games for all. All cases are being handled in full compliance with the rules set out in the Playbooks and in the adjustments that have been made to the protocols.