Leaf over Beef: Plant-Powered Athletes Take to the Field at the Paris Olympics

Green and Gold takes on a new meaning at the 2024 summer Olympics with over 13 million meals to be served to athletes and spectators, a third of which will be plant-based. 

Olympic fever is here and as the Games set off on 26 July, 200 cooks will undertake the herculean task of feeding 15,000 athletes from 208 countries at the Olympic village and at competition sites for a period of 15 days. Catering to the challenge at hand, superstar chefs have been tasked with developing dishes that marry the best in French gastronomy and local ingredients with an eye on both the nutritional needs of the world’s best athletes and the environmental impact of the event. Sustainability will be at the top of the podium with the goal of minimising the carbon footprint of more than 40,000 meals produced daily using 500 meticulously planned recipes. At the centre of it all is the Athletes’ Village, which will transform into a 1,200-table, 24/7 eatery – literally the world’s largest restaurant for the course of the Games.

Foie gras will be off the table and hummus taking its place. With its progressive food vision, Paris 2024 hopes to halve its environmental impact through four key actions: reducing animal proteins, limiting food waste, reducing the use of single-use plastic, and prioritising local, seasonal and organic products. The key emphasis will be about adding more plant-based ingredients as the most effective way to significantly reduce emissions and help make this the greenest Olympics in modern history. 

Studies show veganism is increasingly popular among athletes. In a 2020 review published in the International Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine, sports scientist Katharina Wirnitzer, PhD, estimates that up to 17 percent of people in any given group may be vegan. Today elite athletes like surfer Tia Blanco, snowboarder Hannah Teter, soccer star Alex Morgan, record-holding ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, and tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams all eat predominantly plant-based diets. 

According to a 2019 review published in the journal Nutrients, following a plant-based diet has been shown to improve both cardiovascular health and recovery time in endurance athletes. The review authors looked at data from 77 previous studies and found that adhering to a plant-based diet plays a key role in many aspects of training and performance, especially maintaining cardiovascular health. This is because the many antioxidants found in the diet help reduce inflammation, which adds up in the body when you’re constantly putting it under the stress of running long distances. Along with the sheer abundance of antioxidants and phytochemicals found in plant foods, high-fibre intake promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. This house party of friendly microbes produces compounds like butyrate, which has been linked to reduced inflammation and improved immune function, both crucial for athletes pushing their bodies to the limit. Plant-based diets also tend to be lower in saturated fat than meat-driven ones, promoting healthier arteries, improving blood flow, and ensuring optimal oxygen delivery to muscles, boosting endurance.

Though sceptics have argued that a vegan diet lacks adequate protein and calories for top athletes, some competitors see the regimen as essential to their success. A competitive physique can be had without meat. The global success of vegan athletes has prompted a shift in attitudes towards plant-based nutrition. The 2018 documentary The Game Changers follows UFC fighter James Wilks as he investigates the benefits of a plant-based diet for professional athletes, demonstrating that it can deliver both strength and endurance. The show was executive produced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, co-produced by Formula One winner Lewis Hamilton and includes presentations by tennis legend Novak Djokovic and Jackie Chan – alongside numerous endurance runners, American footballers, boxers and strongmen who support plant-based eating.

Vegan sports people have asserted themselves on social media; such as world record weightlifter Patrik Bouboumian, weightlifting champion Ryan Stills, professional arm wrestler Rob Bigwood, and Jordan Dranes, whose feeds drip with hard-body muscle shots. Even ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson, former boxing heavyweight champion of the world, has embraced the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Kaylin Whitney, Meagan Duhamel, Carl Lewis, Kendrick Farris, Edwin Moses, Rachael Adams and Morgan Mitchell are but a few of many examples of Olympic winners who excelled on a vegan diet, garnering several medals in some cases. This year, vegan Olympic competitors include Diana Taurasi; US Basketball – Alex Morgan; US Football – Constantin Preis; German 400m Hurdles – Marina Fioravanti; Brazil Rugby – once again Morgan Mitchell; Australia Track & Field – Kaylin Whitney; US Track and field – and Vivian Kong Man Wai; Hong Kong fencing. Plant-based eating is not just a trend and these international champions dismantle the myth of the “weak vegan.” Clearly peak physical performance is not the sole domain of meat-dominant consumers, and the 2024 event may produce some medal-winning performances to highlight that fact. 

Could Paris 2024 convince more Olympians and other sports professionals to ditch the boeuf bourguignon and eat a more plant-rich diet? We’ll find out over the next month. 

ENDS

Media Contact

ProVeg South Africa – Wikus Engelbrecht – Communications Manager: [email protected]; +27 64 172 0120

About ProVeg South Africa:

ProVeg South Africa is the local branch of ProVeg International. ProVeg is an international food awareness organisation working to transform the global food system by replacing conventional animal-based products with plant-based and cultured alternatives.

ProVeg works with international decision-making bodies, governments, food producers, investors, the media, and the general public to help the world transition to a society and economy that are less dependent on animal agriculture and more sustainable for humans, animals, and the planet.