One of the best athletes on the earth have converged on Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the assorted Villages are doing their best to be sure they’ve all of the fuel and sustenance crucial to go for gold.
Olympians on the 2026 Winter Games are opened up amongst six villages in total, with the essential hubs in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo housing about 1,500 and 1,400 individuals, respectively.
As much as 4,500 breakfasts, lunches and dinners can be prepared every day on the Milan Village, Olympics head of food and beverage Elisabetta Salvadori told Reuters in a story published on Tuesday, February 3. The village in Cortina will serve as much as 4,000 meals every day.
Salvadori said athletes across the Olympic villages are offered a wide selection of options, but normally go for plain pasta, basic sauce and proteins.
“Then, after all, they produce other gastronomic selections similar to lasagna, gnocchi and desserts,” Salvadori said.
The essential Olympic Villages have food halls with chefs behind six stations. Fruit, bread and a salad bar are also available at other stands.
The food on the 2026 games has an Italian flair, with photos from contained in the food halls showing various pastas and pizzas, plus items like grilled cheese smoked scamorza, plain turkey breast and salmon steak.
An athlete from Team Japan is served food in a dining area of the Olympic Village ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on February 3, 2026. PIERO CRUCIATTI / AFP
Food is offered 24 hours a day, with breakfast, lunch and dinner all served on rotation.
“It’s no Michelin-star restaurant, but I find it quite adequate,” Dutch speed skater Jenning de Boo told Reuters. “I had pasta, a salad and a few chicken. So every little thing an athlete needs is there.”
Team USA figure skating superstar Ilia Malinin said, “I prefer it. It’s comfortable for me.”
Jess Perlmutter, a Team USA snowboarder, gushed about her early dining experience contained in the Village.
“I’ve had one of the best pasta I’ve ever had here, and I had gelato last night. So it’s been really fun,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Latvian speed skater Reinis Berzins told Reuters, “There’s carbs, protein, a number of snacks all day long. It appears that evidently food is not going to be a difficulty this Olympics.”
“To date we had no major issues,” Salvadori said, “just a couple of minor belongings you expect firstly. Someone asked for oatmeal within the morning. It was already there.”
The Olympics in Italy are off to a a lot better start than the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, where the food drew negative reviews from lots of the participating athletes.
“I believe there’s some misconceptions on what athletes eat,” Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher said via TikTok.
After the Team USA women’s gymnastics squad won gold within the team event in Paris, they were asked about food within the Village.
“OK, here’s the thing,” Simone Biles told reporters. “I don’t think we’re having proper French cuisine within the Village such as you guys is likely to be eating since you’re outside the Village. For the athletes, it’s a bit of bit healthier.”
Biles’ teammate Hezly Rivera added, “I don’t think it’s excellent, not less than what we’re having within the dining hall. I definitely think French food is nice, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s one of the best. However it gets the job done.”