Allianz SE

Imagine preparing a menu to serve more than 2 million meals across 206 nations.

That’s the task facing Chef Charles Guilloy and the Sodexo Live! catering team for Paris 2024 as they get ready for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to roll into town this summer.

“The Olympic Games was a no-brainer,” said Estelle Lamotte, Nutrition & Logistics Expert. “I’m extremely excited. We have the responsibility of feeding all of the athletes and officials that will be staying in the Athletes’ Village.”

It’s a task that’s been years in the making.

With 80% of the menu sourced in France and 25% within a 250km radius of Paris, the team worked together with local farmers and suppliers to prepare the crops. Planting often started up to two years in advance to make sure the right crops were ready for the Games.

“We are making a menu for 206 nations,” continued Lamotte. “That also means different cultures, different habits and making sure there are items that they feel comfortable and familiar with.”

Quantity and quality

But it’s not just a challenge of quantity.

Around 15,000 athletes will be relying on the team to provide them with the right nutrition to perform at their best at Paris 2024. Among them will be 80 athletes sponsored by Worldwide Olympic & Paralympic Insurer, Allianz – including Olympic pole vaulter, Ernest John Obiena.

“I don’t think I will be adventurous when it comes to the food that I’ll be taking,” said Obiena. “I will eat the things that I know and the things that I am used to.”

“I mean, the Olympics only happens every four years – and I get one shot at this!”

Going for… green

As well as catering for different cultures and habits, the impact on the planet will play a key part in the Paris 2024 menu.

One third of all food options will be plant-based, with 30% of all ingredients organic and certified. CO2 emissions will also be halved by doubling the consumption of fruit and vegetables this summer.

“I have to eat clean and I have to eat whole foods to compete in the best shape I can,” said fellow Allianz ambassador and Paralympic, World and European Champion, Luca Ekler. “They will know what I have to eat as a professional athlete.”

Preparing for the highest level of competition means eating the highest quality food. And thanks to their years of preparation, it looks like the team at the Paris 2024 Athletes’ Village are ready to meet the challenge and ambition of the visiting athletes this summer.

Find out more:

• Watch Allianz’s Road to Paris content series
• Visit Allianz’s online nutrition hub
• Download Allianz’s food infographic