After training their whole lives to win a gold medal, it’s expected that Olympic athletes might want to celebrate with a glass of bubbly or (many) pints of their favorite beer from back home. But if they’re staying in the Olympic Village, athletes have to imbibe on the down-low.

According to the official policies released by the Olympic Committee Village, “Alcohol will not be sold to individuals in the Olympic Village and the consumption of personal alcohol is restricted to private spaces.”

Olympians can, of course, also take the party off Olympic Village grounds and go explore PyeongChang. Food & Wine reported that athletes have been up for trying all kinds of Korean specialties from gimbap (seaweed wrapped rice and fish), Bibimbap (a bowl of warm white rice with sautéed vegetables), kimchi (salted and fermented vegetables) and Korean Barbecue, so there is a desire to learn about the host country outside of the stage set by the IOC.

Beyond the Olympic Committee’s ruling on alcohol, individual countries have their own protocol for alcohol. Supercall reported that the managing director of communications for Team USA said that alcohol is “prohibited in Team USA’s facilities at the Olympic Village.”

Olympic fans will remember the scandalous headlines that cam after USA swimmer Ryan Locate and a few other teammates drunkenly vandalized a Brazilian gas station after a night out with the French. Also in 2016, gymnast Yuri van Gelder was kicked off the team, after violating the Dutch’s code of conduct that prohibited drinking.

Canadians, however, can have drinks in the staff lounge during the evening, and even have an official beer sponsor. Athletes competing in motor or shooting sports are prohibited from drinking, and there are other efforts to make sure alcohol doesn’t interfere with athletes preparation, reported Supercall. This is, after all, the Olympics.

(h/t Delish)


Also see, Olympic food halls satisfy large appetites

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Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.