Winter Olympics athletes in Italy have been assured that their condom supply will be ‘continuously replenished’ following an unexpected demand at the 2026 Milan-Cortina games.
It’s predictable that assembling thousands of young, physically fit individuals in one location would lead to a significant amount of intimate encounters. Olympic organizers have long been aware of this dynamic and often prepare accordingly.
However, the officials were caught off guard by the speed with which athletes depleted the free condoms. These prophylactics have been distributed since the 1988 Seoul Olympics in an effort to curb the spread of STDs among the athletes.
“I think 10,000 have been used, 2,800 athletes – you can go figure, as they say,” commented International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams on Saturday as reports of the shortage surfaced.
Adams further noted, “It clearly shows that Valentine’s Day is in full swing in the village.”
An Olympic official confirmed that they would promptly distribute additional condoms as the games advanced. They issued a statement saying: “We can confirm that condom supplies in the Olympic Villages were temporarily depleted due to higher-than-anticipated demand.
“Additional supplies are being delivered and will be distributed across all Villages between today [Feb 14] and Monday. They will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.”
While nearly 3,000 athletes have quickly gone through the initial condom supply, it may not be solely their sexual activities that have led to the rapid depletion of protective gear.
Despite the lively activities in the athletes village, the issue may stem more from supply constraints rather than demand.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the organizers made the strategic decision to provide 300,000 condoms for the participants. This amounted to roughly two condoms per athlete per day.
Considering the smaller scale of the winter games, a proportional amount would have been around 100,000 condoms, rather than the 10,000 initially provided.
Spanish bronze medalist triple jumper Ana Peleteiro has previously discussed with local media why there is so much sexual activity during the games.
“There’s a lot of sex going on in the Olympic Village,” she told Spanish outlet RTVE. “Yes, there is a lot of sex. I can’t include myself now, since I’m a married woman.
“But imagine, everyone is ripped from training all year, everyone is in great shape, and you have been super focused on the goal all year. When you finally let loose, if it goes well, it’s time to celebrate, and if not, it’s time to drown your sorrows. It’s wonderful.”