Within a few days of the official launch of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Olympic Village had a temporary shortage of condoms due to a surge in demand. The organizing committee confirmed the news with a statement, noting that athletes have utilized free 10,000 condoms.
Winter Olympics village facing a condom crisis amid record demand
On Saturday, February 14, the Winter Olympic Games organizers confirmed the Olympic village experienced a temporary shortage of condoms (via CBS News).
The statement read, “We can confirm that condom supplies in the Olympic Villages were temporarily depleted due to higher-than-anticipated demand. Additional supplies are being delivered and will be distributed across all villages between today and Monday.”
Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, later provided additional details. In his statement, he said there are over 2,800 athletes staying in the village, and noted that they may have used 10,000 condoms since the beginning of the tournament. “It clearly shows that Valentine’s Day is in full swing in the village,” Adams added.
While officials issued the statement on Saturday, an Italian news outlet, La Stampa, reported the news on February 12. According to its report, the village ran out of free condoms in just three days.
The Olympics has a long-standing tradition of providing free condoms for the athletes to promote safe sex and raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases. This tradition began at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and has continued at every Games since, regardless of the number of athletes.
During the 2024 Paris Summer Games, the organizers reportedly distributed more than 300,000 condoms. However, that tournament also had more participants, with more than 10,500 athletes.
The count was even higher at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Among 10,500 athletes, the organizers reportedly distributed more than 450,000 condoms in 17 days. It’s the highest total in Olympic history, per The Guardian.
