Aussie Olympics star reveals he's been targeted by vegans after he slammed the lack of meaty food at the Paris Games

Retired Olympic swimmer James Magnussen says he's been targeted by vegans after he took a swipe at the lack of meaty food options for athletes competing at the Paris Olympics.

Organizers at the Paris Games were determined to make this Olympics the most sustainable of all time, prioritizing a green approach in almost every area.

Magnussen, who won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016, has suggested that the lack of world records in the pool could be partly due to conditions at the athletes' village and its 'vegan-first mentality'.

'They had a charter that said 60 per cent of food in the village had to be vegan friendly and the day before the opening ceremony they ran out of meat and dairy options in the village because they hadn't anticipated so many athletes would be choosing the meat and dairy options over the vegan friendly ones,' he said in his News Corp column.

'The caterer had to rejig their numbers and bring in more of those products because surprise, surprise — world class athletes don't have vegan diets.'

Organisers have indeed since wilted to pressure from athletes and ordered more than 700kg of eggs and a tonne of extra meat to replace fake meat meals and non-dairy options.

Magnussen has now revealed that his comments have sparked backlash on social media where he admits to 'copping a hammering'. 

The swimming great has now attempted to smooth things over with his critics while appearing on his Matty and the Missile in Paris podcast.

'To all the vegans out there, "peace to you my brethren",' he said.

'I'm going to sleep easy tonight. You know why? I've left no carbon footprint today. 

'I sweated my arse on (a) bus that had no air conditioning.'

Besides the vegan food options, Magnussen has also taken a swipe at many other things he doesn't like about the athlete's village.

'There’s multiple factors that make village life far from ideal,' the dual Olympian wrote.

'It’s the cardboard beds, which can’t give you optimal sleep.

'It’s the no airconditioning, which is going to play a bigger factor as the week goes. It was 20 degrees and raining yesterday. It’s going to be mid 30s in the coming days.

'That’s going to play a factor and the Australian team having their own portable air conditioners will be a welcome relief.

'It’s the crowded buses with no air flow. It’s all of the walking everywhere.'

The 'anti-sex' cardboard beds went down like a lead balloon with water polo star Tilly Kearns and her teammate Gabi Palm, who said 'my back is about to fall off' after their first night.

Tennis star Daria Saville revealed the village is nothing like being in a hotel in a social media post on Tuesday.

'We don't really have hotel-like housekeeping here in the Olympic Village, so you have to get your own toilet paper,' she wrote in a caption alongside video of herself grabbing several rolls.