From Chole Bhature to Biryani, Indian Athletes Enjoying Indigenous Cuisine At Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo Olympics: Chole Bhature, Butter Naan, Plain Naan, Paratha, Butter Chicken, Soya Paneer, Shahi Paneer, Bhindi, Dal, Basmati Rice, Biryani, Boiled Spinach and Boiled Sweet Potato. You must be finding this as the menu of a hotel or a restaurant. No, but this is the indigenous food that has been arranged for the Indian athletes in the Tokyo Olympics and all the athletes are preparing to win medals by enjoying these Indian delicacies in the sports village. 

The nutritional benefits of all the dishes have also been mentioned in the menu. Prior to this, in many international events including the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, the Indian team had complained about the lack of indigenous food. But the situation in Tokyo is completely different. Here , in the dining area of the sports village , the organizers have included many delicacies of North India in their menu. 

Athletes are happy with the arrangement of Indian food 

According to Dr Prem Verma, India’s chef-de-mission for the Olympics, the quality of the food is very good here. The organizers have also made great arrangements for indigenous cuisines for the athletes of India. He said, “There are number of varieties of Indian dishes available here. All the athletes are very happy with these arrangements.” 

The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics had already confirmed to the Indian Olympic Association that Indian food would also be arranged for the athletes in the sports village. 

Achant Sharath Kamal had complained in the 2018 Asian Games 

Let us tell you that many times during international events, athletes have complained about not getting Indian food. During the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, table tennis player Achant Sharath Kamal also posted about this on Twitter. Expressing displeasure over non-availability of Indian food in the sports village, he wrote in his tweet, “After a tough competition that lasted for three hours, we get this for dinner. Bread, Nutella and Muesli.” 

In the same year, at the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, the Indian contingent also expressed displeasure over the food. Earlier, the Indian contingent had faced the same problem in Beijing Olympics (2008), London Olympics (2012) and Rio Olympics (2016).