Free condoms for athletes at the Winter Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa. The supplies, numbering fewer than 10,000, were exhausted rapidly, leaving competitors waiting for more.
“The supplies ran out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told the newspaper. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.” The report criticised Olympic organisers for not being “particularly generous with the numbers”, noting that at the Paris Games two years ago, athletes received 300,000 condoms – two per day each – compared to the significantly lower amount for these Winter Games.
Just under 3,000 athletes are competing in the Winter Olympics, compared to around 10,500 in Paris. Last week, Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana defended the provision of free condoms, stating on social media: “Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village. If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice. It began in Seoul 1988 to raise awareness about sexually transmitted disease prevention – a topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment.”
Fontana also shared a viral Instagram post by Spanish figure skater Olivia Smart, in which she showed condoms stamped with the Lombardy Region logo, saying: “I found them. They have everything you need.” Meanwhile, the Olympic village offers other distractions, including a large gym, table football, air hockey, a piano, and free drinks machines stocked with Coca-Cola and Innocent smoothies.
