Let Them Eat Chow Mein
10 October 1997Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has answered China's most pressing question regarding the 2000 Games: "Yes, there will be chow mein".
Many countries have many different worries leading up to the Sydney Olympics, such as training facilities, living quarters, distance between venues and even sunburn. But for the Chinese, who on the whole are yet to embrace culinary offerings amongst their range of new western pursuits, the top priority was a lot more basic. "China's main concern was whether there'd be Chinese food on offer," said Coates after meeting Chinese counterparts led by China Olympic Committee president and Sports Minister Wu Shaozu.
"I was happy to tell them that yes, they would be catered for". Food was a hot, and sour, topic for Chinese athletes at last year's Atlanta Olympics. Chinese Officials were quick to blame the absence of Chinese staples from the menus at Games venues as a reason for China's early poor showing on the medals table. Television news showed Chinese team members picking unhappily at pasta and steak, trying to use those confounded knives and forks, and some commentators even dredged up Sino-US political differences as a possible reason.
Indeed, China was quickly installed as favourite for a gold medal in complaining in Atlanta -- and the competition was tough -- as team leaders also griped about cramped rooms, hot weather, and diabolical traffic. But, Coates said, the food issue was the only thing on their wish list for Sydney. Pre-Games training facilities, for example, were not a concern, since China will be able to delay its arrival in Sydney until a couple of days before the games, since they are in roughly the same timezone.
