About 10,000 free condoms provided to athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy were reportedly used up within a record three days, leaving organizers scrambling to stock more.
The supply was exhausted at the Milan Olympic Village, Italian outlet La Stampa reported, with the shortage occurring ironically on International Condom Day.
“The supplies ran out in just three days,” one unidentified competitor told the outlet. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.”
Only 10,000 condoms were supplied to just under 3,000 elite competitors this year, a stark decline from the 300,000 doled out to nearly 11,000 athletes at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The Summer Games typically attract about three times more athletes than the Winter Games.
The Olympic Village has long been a hotspot for amorous athletes. Hundreds of thousands of complimentary rubbers have been made available since the Seoul 1988 Games to encourage safe sex.
Lombardy’s regional governor, Attilio Fontana, addressed the practice on social media last week. “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 among athletes and young people about sexually transmitted disease prevention — a topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment.”
The 2021 Tokyo Games saw some 160,000 sheaths distributed to more than 11,000 athletes, while organizers dished out 450,000 condoms at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
