Olympics 2016 Recap: An Exclusive Look Inside the Oakley Safe House (Slideshow)
Originally posted September 1, 2016, Yahoo! Sports
We got a special look inside Oakley’s Safe House, home to select athletes during the Rio Olympics
Photo By Dave Golokhov
The vibe of the Oakley Safe House was very unique. Remember, Oakley athletes are not only the top athletes of one country, but of the world. Whereas the competitors from one country might stick together in the Olympic Village or their own houses, it was all a melting pot in the Safe House. They came by for a number of reasons, including to get a bite to eat and hang out on the couches, watching events. We heard different cheers depending on who was succeeding on the TV screens at the time. Orig
Photo By Dave Golokhov
One of the main goals of the Oakley Safe House was to act as a place where the athletes could get their gear. If you saw many of the Rio 2016 stars wearing the same green shades, it’s because they were all part of Oakley’s Green Fade collection. Fitted with the high-tech Prizm lenses, all of the athletes wore the special-edition green eyewear to represent unity. Every single frame of the 100,000-piece collection had been hand-painted, which is pretty cool.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
Lots of celebrities rolled through the Safe House and you never knew who you might run into. For instance, Brazilian superstar skateboarder Leticia Bufoni came through to check out the gear. She’s the only female athlete to have won three X Games gold medals in the same year and might very well be competing in the Olympics very soon now that skateboarding has been added to the events.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
Food is the ultimate bonding tool and – make no mistakes about it – it was the centerpiece of the Safe House. The spread started with salads, including the following classic (next slide). Oddly enough, we found a lot of Italian restaurants in Rio de Janeiro as they definitely enjoy the Mediterranean cuisine. The red, white, and green was represented here with a tomato and bocconcini salad.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
There was a wide array of salads on the menu. As you can imagine, the athletes are very conscious of calories and nutrition, and vegetables are an integral part of their diet.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
Speaking of healthy eating, the Sambazon bar had an acai berry bowl stand set up for those looking for a light, healthy meal. They preached the powers of acai – an antioxidant- and omega-packed berry – which come from the Amazon. There were various healthy toppings offered to add some more macronutrients to the mix.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
There were Evian water bars around the Safe House, but for those who felt like moving up from PG to an R rating, they had access to a fully stocked open bar. From liquors, to cocktails, to wines, to bubbles…the staff of bartenders was ready to pour.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
Moving to the main courses, there was a very clear theme: Serve the athletes meat. Ox ribs were just the first of many protein options to ensure that the athletes were rebuilding those muscle fibers that had been working so hard.
Ox ribs might seem like one of the unique meats on the spread, but it’s really just beef ribs. The American athletes – especially the ones from the South – definitely appreciated this addition.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
Sausage invited pork to the party, and it was the only pig option. There were also a couple of fish choices including salmon and sea bass.
Photo By Dave Golokhov
A creamy sundried tomato risotto was one of the sides for those who were craving something other than potatoes.
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