Olympians Reject Plant-based Diets

Athletes are in revolt at the first "vegan" Olympic Games

I’ve not actually been watching the Paris Olympics—I scarcely have the time at the moment, between doing everything I normally do and writing a new book and renovating a 300-year-old house—so I don’t know whether the games will be remembered for exceptional sporting performances or not. I usually watch the boxing and wrestling, but I’m not sure when they’re on or if I’ve missed them. The wrestling isn’t the same without Aleksandr Karelin anyway.

The only performer I’ve paid any attention to is that Turkish shooter, and that was just for the vibes, really.

One thing that is certain, however, is that the games will be remembered as among the most ideologically charged in modern history. There was that horrible opening ceremony, which I won’t spill any more ink over. Enough has been written about that. Then there’s been the unedifying spectacle of female boxers being mauled by biological males, who have been allowed to compete in a sport where a substantial advantage in physical power could, quite literally, be fatal, for God knows what reason. We see physical mismatches in male combat sports all the time, but this is something new—men beating the shit out of women under the spurious guise of “inclusivity”—and lots of people really don’t like it. And they shouldn’t.

A less-publicised aspect of the “woke-ification” of the games has been the food served to athletes at the Olympic Village. The organisers wanted to ensure that 60% of the food should be vegan, in order to reduce the “carbon footprint” of athletes during their stay, but the athletes themselves simply aren’t having it. And so there’s been something of a revolt, with teams flying in meat and eggs and milk to ensure their athletes get the high-quality nutrition they need to perform at their best and win medals.