FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Cologne
I thought I would be returning to Austria with 10 kg more than what I arrived in Cologne with. I am not talking about my luggage.
For the duration of the European Championship, team guides and their assigned national basketball federations are joined at the hip. Figuratively speaking.
Team Guides are like Google Translate for students doing their assignments. Uber for tourists exploring foreign countries. Airbnb for travelers looking for short-term rentals.
They make life easier. At least that is what we tried to do for our teams during the EuroBasket.
The Local Organizing Committee accommodates and coordinates the requests of multiple teams. Meals. Practices. Meeting rooms. So, schedules have to be planned meticulously. Some LOCs send out daily activity forms for team managers to fill in. With the help of the information provided in the form, a fluid daily routine can be arranged for their stay.
A typical day:
– 10:30 Breakfast – 11:00 Video room/Stretching – 12:45 Departure from hotel – 14:30 Game – 17:30 Dinner – 21:00 Snack
As you can read, food occupies a large portion of the timetable. Music to my ears, as my volunteer position allowed me not only to stay in the team’s hotel, but also to accompany them to all their activities, meals included. But what does a 2-meter-tall top-tier basketball player eat?
Breakfast offered everything I could possibly want. I mean, everything the players could possibly want. From fluffy pancakes to crispy bacon and delicious scrambled eggs, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The selection of fruit, yoghurt, and pastries made waking up in the morning easier, while freshly brewed coffee and tea would awaken the senses. Snack time meant grabbing a sandwich or dried fruits from the dining room. Quick and efficient. Now lunch and dinner were a different story.
Providing the athletes with the right amount of different nutrients to support their performance on the court, lunch and dinner proved to do just that. A variety of lean meat and fish, vegetables, high-protein foods, and carbohydrates in the form of pasta, rice or potatoes, fuelled the bodies of six basketball teams during the group stage in Cologne. The buffet was set up in an adjoining room, with chafing dishes (yes, I had to google that) running the length of the room, a salad bar set up next to them and a whole table filled with all sorts of sweet treats.
It’s not a secret that professional athletes eat more than the average person to fuel both their sports performance and their growth. It’s also not a secret that I’m in no way, shape, or form a professional athlete. Nonetheless, I ate as much as one, fuelling my non-existent sports performance, and indulged in chocolate cakes, tiramisu, and vanilla sauce.
Why?
Because you don’t say no to free food.
© Andjela Cegar 2023-01-28