Feeding the Beijing Olympics: An Interview with Jillian Wanik

Abstract

The eyes of the world were on Beijing at 8 minutes past 8 p.m. on 8/8/08, as the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games commenced. Over the next 15 days, spectators and the television audience remained agog at the spectacle created by a country of more than 1 billion people. In the Athletes Village, coaches, athletes, and support staff from 200 countries were treated to the best Olympic community life yet. Many had come to Beijing with media-fueled fears of encountering steroid-laden chicken breasts and a contaminated water supply. The article in this issue by Fiona Pelly and co-authors reports on aspects of the catering for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, making recommendations for a variety of features that should be built into the nutrition services offered to athletes during the most important competition of their lives. In this Practical Sports Nutrition column, we talk to Jillian Wanik, MS, RD, Certified Nutrition Support Clinician, Certified Specialist Sports Dietitian, and lead dietitian for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Catering Services Project, about her role in feeding the champions in Beijing.