Hungry long-distance walker Tom Bosworth branded the athletes' village in Sapporo a “prison” and blasted the food as “cold slop” in an amazing Twitter outburst.
In the first major condemnation of conditions at Tokyo 2020 from a Team GB competitor, 20km race walker Bosworth posted three tweets – with accompanying videos - comparing the food court with a “sweaty school dining hall.”
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Bosworth, from Sevenoaks, deleted his tweets when they started picking up traction on social media.
But his claims about restricted movements and quality of food at mealtimes are likely to prompt Tokyo 2020 organisers to investigate.
In his explosive tweets, Bosworth said: “Hey @iocmedia you know the millions of $ you make off the Olympics. Any chance, in the week of our race we could get some food? Like meals?
“Not cold slop, steamed onions or partly-cooked pasta? This is the 'pinnacle of sport.' Sapporo feels like a prison.@BBCSport @TeamGB.”
He posted another image of the communal area, adding: “Welcome to the sweaty school dining hall that a lifetime of hard work gets you.
“Any chance we could have somewhere to get some fresh air aside from the 900m training lap we have? A cup of coffee wouldn't go amiss.”
The 31-year-old's event was moved 500 miles north of the Japanese capital because the cooler climate will be kinder to endurance athletes and national delegations stay in a satellite village away from the main hub in Tokyo.
British Olympic Association officials are aware of Bosworth's gripes and they are looking into them.
