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The best athletes in the world have converged on Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the various Villages are doing their best to make sure they have all the fuel and sustenance necessary to go for gold.
Olympians at the 2026 Winter Games are spread out among six villages in total, with the main hubs in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo housing about 1,500 and 1,400 individuals, respectively.
Up to 4,500 breakfasts, lunches and dinners will be prepared each day at the Milan Village, Olympics head of food and beverage Elisabetta Salvadori told Reuters in a story published on Tuesday, February 3. The village in Cortina will serve up to 4,000 meals daily.
Salvadori said athletes across the Olympic villages are offered a wide range of options, but usually opt for plain pasta, basic sauce and proteins.
“Then, of course, they have other gastronomic choices such as lasagna, gnocchi and desserts,” Salvadori said.
The main Olympic Villages have food halls with chefs behind six stations. Fruit, bread and a salad bar are also available at other stands.
The food at the 2026 games has an Italian flair, with photos from inside the food halls showing various pastas and pizzas, plus items like grilled cheese smoked scamorza, plain turkey breast and salmon steak.
Food is available 24 hours a day, with breakfast, lunch and dinner all served on rotation.
“It’s no Michelin-star restaurant, but I find it quite adequate,” Dutch speed skater Jenning de Boo told Reuters. “I had pasta, a salad and some chicken. So everything an athlete needs is there.”
Team USA figure skating superstar Ilia Malinin said, “I like it. It’s comfortable for me.”
Jess Perlmutter, a Team USA snowboarder, gushed about her early dining experience inside the Village.
“I’ve had the best pasta I’ve ever had here, and I had gelato last night. So it’s been really fun,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Latvian speed skater Reinis Berzins told Reuters, “There is carbs, protein, a lot of snacks all day long. It seems that food will not be an issue this Olympics.”
“So far we had no major issues,” Salvadori said, “just a few minor things you expect at the start. Someone asked for oatmeal in the morning. It was already there.”
The Olympics in Italy are off to a much better start than the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, where the food drew negative reviews from many of the participating athletes.
“I think there’s some misconceptions on what athletes eat,” Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher said via TikTok.
After the Team USA women’s gymnastics squad won gold in the team event in Paris, they were asked about food in the Village.
“OK, here’s the thing,” Simone Biles told reporters. “I don’t think we’re having proper French cuisine in the Village like you guys might be eating because you’re outside the Village. For the athletes, it’s a little bit healthier.”
Biles’ teammate Hezly Rivera added, “I don’t think it’s very good, at least what we’re having in the dining hall. I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s the best. But it gets the job done.”
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