Olympics--Sochi had better food and organization than Rio, Russian chief says

By Jack Stubbs
Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Rio Olympics pale in comparison to the Sochi Winter Games in terms of organization and particularly the food on offer to competitors, the head of Russia's delegation said on Friday.

"There are definitely problems with the food," Igor Kazikov was quoted as saying by the R-Sport news agency. "The food in the Rio village, mildly speaking, is bad.

"In this regard, we all remember the Sochi Olympics. There is a lot of negativity around them now, but in terms of organization Sochi surpasses all Olympic Games."

Held up by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 as a symbol of his country's global standing, the Sochi Games have since been hit by allegations of state-backed doping.

Some competitors in Brazil have griped about the food on offer and the athletes' village was initially hit with problems including blocked toilets and exposed wiring when national delegations arrived to move in. Organizers say those were largely resolved within a few days.

Kazikov said he was unimpressed with the range of food available and the Russian team had flown in their own chef to prepare meals.

"You would think in a southern country there should be fruit but in this canteen there is very little and it is all the same," he told R-Sport.

"In Brazil they have some kind of problem with tea, they are all hooked on coffee." (Editing by Clare Fallon)

08/12/2016 15:18