The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic 2024 is taking place on 26th July 2024. All the athletes look forward to this event as this is the biggest and most popular athletic event. Many athletes dream to win a medal for their country and announce retirement. Its such a high!
But the most unique thing is about to happen in Paris Olympic is vegan food. In the history of Olympic Games, vegan food was not served ever. This is the first time they are going to serve plant-based food. France government assured to serve 60% of plant-based food for the athletes. Almost 15,000 athletes are participating in the summer and Paralympic of Olympic Games 2024. Philipp Wurz, the man behind food and beverage will be served in Paris Olympic is proud to say that 60% of the food served for the athletes and visitors are going to be plant-based. At La Concorde, it will be 100% vegetarian food.
Observing the sudden popularity of the vegan diet and keeping the health benefits of the athletes in the mind, Wurz and his team decided to serve plant-based food. Meat-free hot dogs, plant-based tuna, felafels are going to be the major attraction. France government also decided this to reduce the carbon footprint.
During such huge events, carbon footprints raise to another level. As the heatwave is raising and troubling all the nations, France decided to keep meat-free menu for this huge event. Recently, British Journal of Nutrition published research to mention how the plant-based diet can enhance the endurance and tenacity of an athlete.
Commitments made by Paris Olympic Games
Photo credit: Philipp Wurz (LinkedIn and official Paris Olympic Games 2024)
1. More plant-based food will eventually reduce the carbon footprints (as mentioned earlier in this article).
2. All the food items are going to be 100% certified. Most of the food are organic and cultivated in France, only a few food items are imported.
3. France government is not using any one-time plastic items. All the worldwide partners are bringing their products with more environment friendly components.
4. The organisers are also equipped to 100% recycle the food waste. During such huge events, food waste is very common. So, the aim is to recycle the food waste into something essential and can be used in various other ways.
5. All the equipment and infrastructure at the Paris Olympic are going to be reused in the future for other events. The government pledged not to throw away equipment after the event.
6. Staff are being gathered and trained from the professional integration program. This is generating employment and global exposure. Specially, for the hotel management, event management, tourism and sports management aspirants this is a fantastic work opportunity.
Carbon footprints during previous Olympic Games
Photo credit: Statista website
Recent data declared that Tokyo Olympic Games emitted 2.73 million tonnes of CO2 which is higher than a country like Montenegro. Rio Olympics (2016) emitted 3.6 million tonnes of CO2. London Olympics (2012) emitted 3.3 million metric tonnes of CO2. These data are glaring on the environment damage part. After the 2024 Olympic Games only, we will get to know how much of carbon emission took place in Paris or in France overall.
Photo credit: Official Paris Olympic Games 2024 website
France is world renowned for wine and cheese. Nowadays, the experts found various methods to make plant-based cheese and vegan wines. These cheeses are made from plant milk. These vegan wines are preserved with plant-based components instead of egg and fish albumin. Aren’t we progressing towards a better and healthier future?