Statements on Olympics Opening Ceremony Animals

In the Olympics shows, we talked about the use of animals in the opening ceremony and when the decision to use them was made. I promised to blog about the responses I’ve had from both LOCOG (the London Games organisers) and the RSPCA (a venerable animal welfare group whose consultancy advised LOCOG on the use of animals).… more

London2012.com: vegan athlete Sarah Stewart

She’s competing in her third Paralympics with the Australian Gliders, has already won bronze and silver, is doing a PhD in philosophy, and is vegan. Aussie listener Lisa Green commented on the Vegan Option Facebook page that she was watching Sarah’s team with a roomful of cheering vegans. The Gliders soundly defeated TeamGM, and the next game is this evening, at 18:30 UK time, 17:30 GMT. Whereever you are in the world, you can watch the games at Paralympic.org. Sarah is number 13.

London Olympics: hunting vegan food

Listener Helen Louise is going to the Paralympics – which take place two weeks after the Olympics – and wants to know what the vegan options have been at the games.

Vegan spectators have shared their successes and failures at finding vegan food with the world on social media – and with us directly.

So here is the story of vegan food at the Olympics, as heard in our third and final Olympics show, told via Twitter. more

London Olympics: Closing Update with Vx, Animals in the Opening Ceremony, and Vegan Food

London Olympics: Closing Update As the athletes celebrate their victories and defeats, and the Spice Girls rock the closing ceremony, we look back over the Olympics and update you on the vegan stories behind the games. This show: We catch up with the vegan stories behind the Olympics, like Sandra Hood, Pogocafe, and Frys Ian updates you on the use of animals in the Opening Ceremony Rudy tells us who’s been coming to Vx, the little vegan shop that was braced for a difficult Olympics We sum up the experience of vegans looking for food at the Olympic Venues (15 min) Play or download (14MB MP3) (other formats) (via iTunes)… more

Vegan Olympians: Too Good to Check?

At The Vegan Option, I’ve try to get facts right – and that includes talking about vegan Olympians in our shows about the Olympics. Where I could, I checked with the athletes themselves.

Over the course of the Olympic sites including EcoRazzi, VegNews, FourGreenSteps, and BigCityVegan have posted lists of vegetarian and vegan athletes and Olympians. I’d be happy to hear references that show otherwise, but putting them on a list could be confusing. I’m particularly proud that one of our listeners, Marcus Dredge, joined in the fact-checking. more

London Olympics: interview with Kara Lang, vegan Olympian, Canada soccer team

Kara Lang holds the record as the youngest woman ever to score a goal in international soccer – but her passions also include vegan cupcakes.

Now retired from football, she took time out from her busy schedule as part of Canadian station CTV’s Olympic team to talk to me about her story, touring, and the vegan mentor she improbably found in her own national squad. more

Shot of the Olympic stadium

London Olympics

Athletes from across the world are coming to East London – where we produce the show – but what are the vegan perspectives on the Olympic games?

We talk to Sandra Hood, the Olympic torch bearer who wrote the book on raising vegan children; Ian visits the father and daughter who are supplying the Olympic games with the vegan option; find out what the staff in the nearest vegan cafe to the games think of it; and update you on the stories with a vegan perspective – Venus Williams, the Chinese volleyball team, and the Opening Ceremony. more