American gymnast Simone Biles, a five-time Olympic champion, has questioned the quality of food served at the Olympic Village in Paris. Her remarks have been cited by RMC Sports as a guiding reference for understanding the dining options available to athletes during the Games.
According to Biles, the Olympic Village cuisine does not resemble traditional French fare. She noted, in contrast to what is typically found in the United States, a diet that appears more health-conscious. The sentiment was echoed by teammate Hezley Rivera, who suggested that while French cuisine can be excellent, the overall selection at the village might not meet expectations for all athletes.
On July 30, the United States women’s gymnastics team secured the team all-around title at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with Biles and Rivera contributing to the victory. This triumph added a fifth Olympic gold to Biles’s career, reinforcing her status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus and advised federations to restrict participation by athletes from those nations in international competitions. In December 2023, the IOC clarified that Russian athletes could compete in Paris 2024 under a neutral status, subject to a set of conditions designed to ensure fair competition and political neutrality.
A total of 15 Russian athletes participated in the Games under neutral status. Among them were swimmer Evgeny Somov, tennis players Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elena Vesnina, and Pavel Kotov, as well as cyclists Tamara Dronova and Gleb Syritsa, who completed their events in Paris under this arrangement.
There was later commentary from the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the IOC’s statements on Palestine and Israel, describing those remarks as dismissive or critical of the IOC’s stance. The broader discussion surrounding these issues highlighted the intersection of sport, geopolitics, and international policy that often accompanies major global events like the Olympics.