Several athletes have approached SwimSwam with complaints about the room-and-board conditions this week in Gwangju, South Korea for the 2019 World Championships.
The primary concern has been the food that is being served in the athletes’ village, which one swimmer said was “dripping with fat, soy, wheat, and dairy.”
“There are no options for people with dietary restrictions. We’ve been asking for just plain rice, grilled meats, and plain steamed vegetables,” without any success. Several athletes have also complained that the food was just luke-warm when being served.
The menu is apparently predominantly Asian cuisine, though there are a few options like pizza and french fries, and several have complained of digestive issues caused by the food.
Not all athletes served up the same criticisms, however. One told us that the food was fine. “There are a lot of options and never any long lines,” according to a source. Another said that the food was “very average” but that with such a large group to feed, the caterers were doing a “fine job.” That same swimmer, however, did mention that they thought a lot of the ‘best looking’ food on the line was very spicy, which wasn’t ideal for competition scenarios.
It’s possible that the feedback has been heard, however, as one athlete told us that Tuesday evening’s meal was the best of the week yet, with offerings like seafood patties, spicy chicken nuggets, and a beef patty.
Other complaints have included that the apartments in the athletes’ village are sparsely-furnished and covered in plastic barriers – apparently because the units are to be marketed to the public as “new” after the World Championships. A loud air craft (it was described as a “fighter jet,” though we could not confirm the nature of the plane) did several passes over the athletes’ village mid-afternoon, when many athletes are in “recovery mode,” (in other words, napping).
SwimSwam hass asked FINA for comments on the food and if they’re working to address the concerns, but have not heard anything back as of posting.
Im not sure if this is true, but I heard it was Sun Yang piloting the jet in hopes of buzzing the rooms of all his freestyle opponents as he throws vials of blood out of the cockpit.
Believe me I had lots of opportunities to try Korean food 20 years ago since I once lived in Orange County Ca where there are Koreans, but never did. I guess its up to people’s taste.
So is the food to blame for all the sensational withdrawls and weird stuff going on this meet!?!? Im confused as the next person at this point.
Weirdest meet ever.
i bet they’re missing McD’s now
But Mike Barrowman is retired.
Well, I am here in Gwangju and the food is just fine. Much better than in Rio for example. There are options, and so far there were no complaints in our team, which is rather scarce. The appartments are also much better than in Rio, and yes, everything is covered up as the units will be sold afterwards, but this is the same at almost any WUGs. The village is a bit of a difference to ‘normal’ World champs, when you stay in hotels. It has a little bit of an olympic feel with everybody being in the same place…
As for the noise, the Gwangju international airport is right next to the village… which explains everyhing. Luckily enough,… Read more »
Having travelled quiet a lot around the world and being both in Brasil many times and few countries in Asia (not Korea) I must say that probably Europeans (if not wrong CoachDaggi you are from a European Country) tend to adapt easier to both types of cuisine.
I am hotelier and our main market is North American and usually US Citizens tend to have issues to different types of food and prefer to keep it simple or look for basic stuff when abroad.
Anyhow, I am amaze that in a Sports Village during WC the food offer includes pizzas, chicken nuggets and french fries…
Truly, the biggest controversy of the meet
The facilities in Singapore were outstanding. The instagram posts by some US Team members looked like they were staying at a five star facility. Some Team members even questioned if they were on vacation.
The Korean facilities look very utilitarian by comparison. This sudden change is probably a shock to the team members systems. Not very surprising.
It’s no wonder that there are complaints, who wouldn’t rather stay at the Singapore facilities rather than the korean facilities.
Looks like the US Team in the future needs to house the team in college facilities, when traveling ,and leave the five star facilities for USA executives and coaches.