Where are Usain Bolt's chicken nuggets? Athlete's food requirements revealed

 
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Shekhar Bhatia20 July 2012

The culinary requirements of the world’s top athletes gathering for the London Olympics were revealed today.

Chefs preparing food for the 2012 stars have been asked to conjure up a variety of items ranging from a goat’s head to a basic McDonalds bacon roll.

Athletes commonly count the calories and fill up with carbohydrates such as pasta to help them along the way as they bid for gold.

The restaurant inside the athletes’ village has been serving food from all five continents much to the delight of athletes who have given the catering a unanimous thumbs up.

Nigerian Olympic veteran Segun Toriola,38, who is competing in his sixth games in table tennis said:”This is easily the best restaurant I have eaten in, in any of the villages.

“There are so many different foods on offer from Asia and Africa and Europe, you really don’t know where to start.

“But I started the day with a McDonalds bacon roll and it was delicious. I am naturally slim and I don’t have much trouble watching my weight.”

Team GB’s head of sports science Marco Cardinale has declared athletes would be making “the wrong choice” if they choose burgers over pasta from the American fast food giant which has four outlets in Olympic Park.

But Hanisi Visniti from Fiji, who is an Oceana Olympic official, said:”The McDonalds section has been very quiet but as the village fills up it could be busier.

“I had prawns for lunch today and I was very impressed. I never expected to find such finely cooked food in the village.”

Alphonsine Agahozo,16, from Rwanda, a women's 50m freestyle swimmer, said: “ I love eating chicken and rice and I have to be careful not to eat too much fatty food.

“I arrived last night and have only been to the restaurant once, but it has a nice atmosphere and people are very friendly there.”

Australian hockey player Georgia Nanscewan,20, said:”The temptation to over eat is there as there is food everywhere you look in the restaurant, but my teammates and me are being sensible and sticking to our usual diets of pasta, fish and white meat.”

New Zealand women's footballer Rebecca Smith said:”The eating place they have put in for us is like an upmarket restaurant. I was surprised they even had baba ganoush on the menu which was fantastic.”

Olympic officials believe they have thought of everything to cater for the 16,000 village residents, but additional items may be necessary when the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt and his Jamaican team mates arrive next week.

At their Birmingham base, chefs have had to seek out a goats head for the athletes,but after failing, settled for diced goat meat to prepare a curry for the Caribbean visitors.

Team member Yohan Blake, who is Bolt’s great rival for the 100m and 200, gold medals, is also known to consume a huge bunch of bananas a day.

“I eat 16 ripe bananas every day. Naturally I tend to lose potassium so I have to build it all back. For me it works and provides more energy” he said.

The team also have a taste for callaloo, a type of cabbage and an advance party is already seeking out the right ingredients to ensure the Olympic guests’ every taste is sufficiently catered for.

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