The Winter Olympics ‘sold’ 10,000 condoms in three days

The incident was reported dailyThe Press(Italy) reflected on the first day of the week. Accordingly, at the Athletes’ Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the cabinets containing protective items were empty. An anonymous athlete confirmed: “The supply ran out after just three days. The organizers promised to bring more but we don’t know when it will be available.”

This situation is a big surprise because the difference is so far compared to previous Olympics. If at the Paris Olympics last summer, the organizers prepared up to 300,000 for athletes, then this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy will only have nearly 10,000 for about 2,900 people. On average, each athlete is only allocated about 3 cars for the entire conference, which lasts more than two weeks.

Explaining this sudden high demand, observers say that in addition to being used for the right purpose, condoms at the Olympics are often taken by athletes as souvenirs because of the unique packaging printed with the Olympic logo. Previously, Mr. Attilio Fontana, head of the Lombardy region, affirmed that free distribution has been a standard medical procedure since 1988 to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and protect the health of players.

The shortage takes place in the context of living conditions at this year’s Olympics which are quite unique. Cortina Athlete’s Village is a prefabricated housing complex that can accommodate 1,400 people. Meanwhile, at the competition area in Milan, due to regulations prohibiting athletes of the opposite sex from entering each other’s private rooms, “Relax Rooms” with dim lighting and private space are becoming the most sought-after destinations after competition hours.

While waiting for the organizers to restock, many athletes joked that they had to kill time by playing video games or “fantasizing”.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics takes place from February 6 to February 22, bringing together athletes from more than 90 countries competing in 116 events on ice and snow.