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NUTRITION AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES is a highly refined, scientific and well-calibrated exercise. While their individual food preferences do vary, there are some rules of thumb that most Olympians adhere to when it comes to their dietary intake. Here’s a by-the-numbers look at what fuels these elite athletes, from their plates all the way to the podium!
~5,000 — number of people the Olympic Village’s dining facility has the capacity to serve in one seating
20 — Energy requirement, in megajoules per day, for an athlete training and competing in an endurance sport (think marathons, triathlons, cycling, long-distance swimming etc.)
1,000,000 — Number of joules that make up 1 megajoule (Additionally, 1000 kilojoules = 1 megajoule.)
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What you’d need to eat to obtain 20 megajoules of energy:
8 — slices of bread
6 — pieces of fruit
5 — cups of veggies, preferably yellow and green
2 — cups of porridge
2 — cups of cooked rice
2 — number of potatoes, preferably large-sized
60 — in grams, quantity of cheese
30 — in grams, quantity of nuts
200 — in grams, cooked red meat, such as steak
200 — also in grams, cooked meat like chicken
1500 — in millilitres, quantity of milk
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102+ — In kilograms, highest weight category for men in the weightlifting segment of the Paris Olympics
49+ — In kilograms, lowest weight category for women in the weightlifting segment of the Paris Olympics
1.2 to 2 — in grams, recommended daily intake of protein per kilogram of an athlete’s body weight; thus...
170 — ...in grams, daily quantity of protein an Olympic rower weighing around 85 kg would be required to consume
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You would have to eat any one of these to obtain 10 gm of protein:
2 — number of eggs, small-sized
4 — slices of bread
30 — in grams, quantity of cheese (reduced-fat)
35 — in grams, quantity of lean red meat
50 — in grams, quantity of grilled fish
200 — in grams, quantity of yoghurt (reduced-fat)
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3-7 — in grams, for each kg of body weight; recommended daily carbohydrate intake for athletes
6-10 — in grams, for each kg of body weight; recommended daily carbohydrate intake for athletes whose training or competitions schedules extend for three or more hours a day
12 — in grams, for each kg of body weight; recommended daily carbohydrate intake for athletes whose training or competitions schedules extend for five or more hours a day
1-1.2g — quantity of carbohydrate intake, in grams, per kg of an athlete’s body weight, per hour, for the first four hours immediately after intense training
20 — in grams, recommended intake of protein for athletes post-training
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Some milestones:
1984 — Year when nutritional advice by experts gained importance at the Olympics, beginning with the Los Angeles Games
1992 — Provision of nutritional labelling of menu items, plus a nutrition info desk, introduced at the Barcelona Olympics
2000 — Dedicated menu website launched for the duration of the Olympic Games in Sydney
2008 — Year when the first International Dietetic Review Committee for the Olympics was appointed, at the Beijing Games
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References:
‘From Plate To Podium: What Does It Take To Fuel Olympic Athletes?’ by Helen O’Connor, Fiona Pelly and Janelle Gifford
‘Evolution Of Food Provision To Athletes At The Summer Olympic Games’ by Fiona Pelly, Helen O’Connor, Gareth Denyer and Ian Caterson
