The Chinese Saga of Olympic Shame Deepens . . . . Wary U.S. Olympians
Will Bring Food to China/NYTimes

The New York Times

February 9, 2008

Wary U.S. Olympians Will Bring Food to China

By BEN SHPIGEL

COLORADO SPRINGS ― When a caterer working for the United States Olympic
Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a
piece of chicken ― half of a breast ― that measured 14 inches. “Enough
to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten
Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.

“We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could
have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”

In preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the
Summer Games in Beijing this year, the U.S.O.C. faces food issues beyond
steroid-laced chicken. In recent years, some foods in China have been
found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and
the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United
States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.