The 2026 Winter Olympics are now underway in Italy, and the free condom (Portuguese cap) ration for competitors at the event has run out in a record three days.
“The supply ran out in three days, they promised to bring us more condoms, but who knows when,” one athlete said with great concern.
He also blamed the organizers of this year’s Olympics, saying they were “not particularly generous with the numbers that came.” “At the last Olympics in Paris, France, athletes received 300,000 condoms, two per day, but at this Winter Games, not even 10,000 were brought,” La Stampa reported.
In reality, the athletes’ accusations are unfounded, as fewer than 3,000 athletes compete in the Winter Olympics, compared to 10,500 in Paris two years ago.
Last week, Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana insisted that the topic should not be a source of embarrassment. “Yes, we are giving free condoms to the athletes in the Olympic Village, and they are not being embarrassed. This time they used more than they thought,” he said in a social media post apologizing.
The condom distribution program began in Seoul, South Korea, in 1998 to raise awareness among athletes and young people about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Spanish athlete Olivia Smart also shared an Instagram post in which she showed her followers a condom stamped with the yellow Lombardy region logo and said, “I found them,” in a video clip that has gone viral.
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