102. THE MEAT’S OFF!

Food at tournaments is a subject I have already written about (see link below) but a recent trip to a tournament to Colombia has taken this to a whole new level!

My player recently entered the WTA125 event in Barranquilla, Colombia. The fact sheet for the tournament warned the players about possible meat contamination in this region, as there have been incidences in the past where athletes have tested positive for banned substances, following the consumption of meat in Colombia, in particular.

This begs the (first) question, why is the WTA staging tournaments in a country that is a known for it’s use of drugs and growth hormones in meat and other similar products? Surely, in the interests of the athletes, it would be better to avoid hosting tournaments in countries that put the livelihoods of the players at risk?

The second question I have to ask is, if the advice to the players is not to eat the meat in the region in question, what provision is the tournament/WTA making to provide safe, alternative sources of protein/food?

At the tournament in question, so many of the players were unsure what to do, and what to eat. They were being advised not to eat beef, pork and lamb, but no one could confirm whether or not chicken was safe? If Colombian farmers are known to inject/feed their cattle and pigs with banned substances to make their products more marketable, who is to say they don’t do the same with their chickens? And, if that is the case, how does that affect eggs (from chickens) – a staple for tennis players. Similarly, if the players are being told not to eat meat from cows, what is the advice re dairy products (milk, cheese etc), which also come from cows? Surely it would be easier just not to stage tournaments in countries that cannot provide ‘safe’ food?

In the end, the majority of players I saw at the Colombian tournament chose to by-pass meat pretty much altogether, but they did eat eggs (and a lot of them), as well as pulses and lentils, as protein is an essential part of an athlete’s diet. It was almost a relief for all however, when the tournament came to an end. The players could move on and travel to countries where the food is ‘safer’ and a more normal diet could be consumed. Some even took to social media to celebrate their first meal in another country! #realitytennis

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