What Were The Athletes Drinking At The Commonwealth Games?

I confess to not being a sports fan; at all. However, for those that are, this summer seems to have been quite exceptional in terms of the breadth sporting of activities available for viewers, if not for participants. So far we have had the World Cup, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the Grand Prix, and now bringing up the rear, The Commonwealth Games, due to start in Glasgow later this month.

Being a wine writer and tutor, I am always interested in the connection between alcohol and the context in which people from all walks of life choose to imbibe, or not, so it seemed natural to delve into just what was being served north of the border.

As one might expect, for Glasgow 2014, the organisers have been keen to promote Scottish products. There are a number of 'official' drink sponsors, including the famous Irn-Bru, Strathmore Scottish spring water, and of course whisky, where Famous Grouse have managed to secure a deal, alongside Heineken, the official beer and cider provider.

For spectators, at the top end there are hospitality packages on offer for up to £575 a time to attend the opening ceremony. Despite several calls to the company organising the events, it was really disappointing not to be able to find out what drinks were going to be on offer. Their reluctance to respond does make we wonder what they might be trying to hide. If my own experience of similar events recently is anything to go by, it does not bode well for lovers of decent quality wine.  

In considering the performance of some of the top athletes tipped to win in their chosen events, I have been aiming to discover more about their drinking habits.

Expectations are high for all athletes, and it is heartening to see that Glaswegian swimmer Michael Jamieson, admits to not drinking at all when he's training, along with fellow competitor Hannah Miley; however, this is not quite the case for all competitors.

Sprinter Usain Bolt needs little introduction, especially since Richard Branson has harnessed his distinctive style to advertise Virgin products. Criticised by fans for being caught guzzling beer, it seems that Usain’s favourite tipple is in fact a drop of the good stuff, Guinness. Given that not so long ago maternity hospitals used to give new mums stout to drink on the wards, perhaps there is something in that. It certainly seems that everything Usain touches does indeed turn to gold, as his endorsement of energy drink Gatorade has seen sales go through the roof in his home country of Jamaica. Brownlee brothers (Alistair and Jonathan), both English triathletes, also drink Gatorade, maintaining that it contains calcium for your bones, protein for your muscles and electrolytes to aid recovery. 

Mo Farah runs for England, but was born in Sudan, where as an Islamic country, alcohol is officially banned. However, the cloudy, locally brewed beer, ‘merissa’, made from millet, could be on offer, although as it is made from untreated water, and to avoid the inevitable stomach upset, a better bet might be the potent 'aragi', a pure spirit distilled from dates. Not wanting to suffer the mother of all hangovers, or break the law, a delicious alternative to the ubiquitous tea might be 'karkadeh' tea, red in colour, and made from Hibiscus flowers.

Swimmer Chad Le Clos, from South Africa, celebrated his 21^st birthday at Czar nightclub in Durban, with Red Bull drinks on arrival (yuk!) followed by sparkling wine from The House of J C le Roux, produced near Stellenbosch, in the wine-growing region of the Cape.  Described as having all the fresh, crisp, character of sauvignon blanc, combined with the sweetness of the Muscadel, and low in alcohol, at just £10.99, it's unlikely to break the bank.

English boxer Nicola Adam admits to chilling out with her friends and downing the odd vodka and lemonade, so she might consider hooking up with Mark Cavendish, the Manx cyclist, who extols the benefits of vodka and soda, saying 'I only drink alcohol for five weeks a year, in my off-season. When I drink, I go for a vodka and soda, the purest drink you can get. It doesn’t give you a headache or heavy legs the next day.'

 
Tom Daley, England's diving hope, appears not to be your typical young man. In one interview he declared that he thinks alcohol is 'disgusting', and that the only time he had tried alcohol was on his 16th birthday, when his mum gave him a sip of champagne. He maintains that when he goes to parties he just drinks Coke or orange juice. His comments echo the views of others I speak to, and as all champagnes are not equal, I would argue that his dislike of champagne may well stem from the particular brand he was offered, rather than a blanket distaste for it.

In summing up my admittedly rather cursory, but time consuming, investigations it would seem that in almost cases sports stars at the top of their game largely abstain from alcohol consumption of any kind, and this combined with dedication, discipline, and self-belief is the combination that breeds winners. Something that perhaps the England football team could learn a valuable lesson from?