Paris Olympics: 300,000 condoms to ensure athlete safety and health
Organizers of the summer Olympic Games in Paris have prepared 300,000 condoms for the Olympic and Paralympic village residents. A video has gone viral on social media showing the "equipment" offered to the athletes and more. On Friday, the Olympic competitions officially begin.
2:03 PM EDT, July 26, 2024
The XXXIII Summer Olympic Games will commence on Friday, July 26, in Paris. The event will last until August 8, and up to 14,000 athletes and team officials are expected to appear in the capital of France. This also includes Paralympians and their coaches, but their competition will begin on August 26.
Laurent Michaud, the director of the Olympic village in Paris, reported the number of prepared condoms in an interview with Sky News. While 300,000 condoms have been prepared, it's worth noting that this is a long-standing tradition.
They were first distributed during the summer games in Seoul in 1988, but their number was "only" 8,500.
Organizers primarily aim to promote awareness about preventing HIV infections. Since then, the number of condoms distributed at each Olympic event has increased. For example, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, there were as many as 450,000, setting an absolute record. The exception was the games in Tokyo in 2021, as it was considered that due to the sanitary regime during the COVID-19 pandemic, close contact was limited.
A video is circulating on social media showing the condoms distributed to athletes in Paris. The purple packaging reads: "Don't share anything other than victory. Protect yourself from STDs". One package contains two condoms.
