The month of July, 2024 is here and with it the cold season has set in, in Kenya and most of East Africa. Additionally, the 2024 Olympic Games are set to commence on the 26^th of July; this month!

As a follow up article from the last two blog articles which focused on the Africa Soil Health Summit and the shift towards all things organic and agroecologically aligned; this month’s article is a ‘copy and paste’ of the article by a mentee of the author of these article series, Brian Omoke aka the ‘Organic Guy’. He has written an exciting article on Paris Olympics 2024 serving Organic foods to athletes and attendees; https://theorganicguy.substack.com/p/paris-2024-olympics-to-serve-athletes

• This development highlights a historical event of monumental proportions for those of us who have been promoting consumption of organic foods and all things organic, for over a decade and half.

• The serving of athletes and attendees’ organic foods during the 2024 Olympic Games is not only a major marketing promotion for consuming organic foods but also an affirmation that, finally, the world is coming around to embrace and mainstream organic foods and all things organic.

Here below is the article: (where bolded is for emphasis)

The much-anticipated 2024 Paris Olympic Games, set to commence on July 26, 2024, will host approximately 15,000 professional athletes worldwide. As these athletes descend on Paris for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they will be treated to an array of organic foods designed to enhance their performance and promote sustainability. 

With over 13 million meals to be served throughout the event, 30 percent of all ingredients will be certified organic, highlighting the organizers’ commitment to health and environmental stewardship. The catering logistics are staggering, with around 40,000 meals served daily during the summer Olympics. 

A significant focus has been placed on local sourcing, with 80 percent of the menu ingredients coming from within France and 25 percent from within a 250-kilometer radius of Paris. This not only ensures freshness and quality but also supports local agriculture and reduces the carbon footprint associated with food transportation.

Olympic pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena remarked, “I have to eat clean and I have to eat whole foods to compete in the best shape I can. They will know what I have to eat as a professional athlete,” reflecting the tailored approach to nutrition that the Paris Games are championing.

This innovative approach to athlete nutrition at the Paris Olympics underscores a growing recognition of the link between diet, performance, and sustainability. The 2024 Paris Olympics are setting a new standard for major sporting events by prioritizing organic, locally sourced, and plant-based foods.

• For those who may need further convincing why organic foods is the way to go, have a listen to the contents of this post: this interview was recorded in 2019…more than 5 years ago! https://theorganicguy.substack.com/p/why-going-organic-is-a-must-w-dr-5dd
• The exciting new is that, 5 years after that interview, Paris Olympics, 2024 is serving daily organic meals…over the entire period of the Olympic Games.
• Thank you and let’s connect next month.