"Power Gyoza DON," developed for the 2026 Winter Olympics (©JAPAN Forward by Mika Sugiura)
Japanese food such as gyoza dumplings and dashi stock is helping fuel Japan's athletes at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
As competition heats up, the team is receiving nutritional support through pre-game meals featuring familiar staples of Japanese home cooking.
Supporting the athletes' diet and nutrition is Ajinomoto, a TEAM JAPAN Gold Partner. The company launched its "Victory Project" in 2003 and has since supported athletes' bodies and minds at international competitions through food and amino acids.
At this year's Games, familiar Japanese light meals are being served at the JOC G-Road Station, set up by the Japanese Olympic Committee near the athletes' village.
Standard offerings include ochazuke (broth over rice), soups made with Ajinomoto's instant stocks Hondashi and Marudori Gara Soup, and rice balls. This year, a new menu item has also been introduced: a special rice bowl called Power Gyoza DON, featuring dumplings long familiar as a Japanese home-style dish.
Comfort Food at the Athletes' Village
Power Gyoza DON is a rice bowl topped with pork gyoza and a thick sauce, made with a generous mix of Italian vegetables. It was developed in Milan in collaboration with Yoji Tokuyoshi, the owner-chef of a Michelin two-star restaurant. The dish offers the crisp texture of gyoza and provides about one-third of the recommended daily vegetable intake in a single serving.
Other menu items include "Energy Tonjiru" pork stew and hearty, ingredient-rich soups. They are all designed to help athletes perform at their best in extreme cold conditions.
Olympians React
At a menu unveiling event held in Tokyo in December 2025, Shizuka Arakawa, gold medalist in figure skating at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, sampled the bowl. She praised it repeatedly, saying, "The aroma really whets the appetite — it's delicious."
Paralympic snowboarder Junta Kosuda added, "Being able to eat familiar food is incredibly reassuring."
Through food, Ajinomoto is supporting its athletes' performance as they compete through February 22.
This report is published in cooperation with Ajinomoto, a logo partner of the JAPAN Forward website Japan 2 Earth focused on initiatives to achieve the SDGs.
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Author: Mika Sugiura
