Newsroom
You might think you know Olympic traditions: the torch, the medals, the opening ceremony fanfare. But here’s one you probably didn’t expect: athletes go through condoms like gold medals at the Games.
At this year’s Olympics, the Village’s supply of free contraceptives, 10,000 in total, vanished in just three days. Organizers scrambled to restock, though exactly when the new batch will arrive remains unclear, according to La Stampa.
For context, the 2024 Paris Games handed out 300,000 condoms, a figure that now makes this year’s shortage look, well, modest.
The practice of distributing contraceptives dates back to the 1988 Olympics and has only been interrupted once, during Tokyo 2020, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions. Since then, it’s been part of the unspoken, but clearly well-followed, athlete protocol.
So next time you watch the medal ceremonies, remember: Olympic preparedness isn’t just about training and diet; it’s also about keeping up with century-long traditions of… protection.
