Free protection ...

 

... for Olympic athletes is nothing new, but when the supply runs out  before the first week of the Games, it is bound to make headlines. 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. They will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.” 

The complimentary condoms distributed inside the Olympic Village in Cortina were gone in three days. 10,000 were made available. There are 2,871 athletes in Italy for the Winter Games. At the Paris Olympics there were a little more than 10,500 athletes competing. Organizers handed out approximately 300,000 condoms. 

“Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village. If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice. It began in Seoul 1988 to raise awareness among athletes and young people about sexually transmitted disease 

Life inside the Olympic Villages operate under their own set of rules. Privacy is limited, and athletes have had to get inventive. In Milan, for example, where visits to the rooms of athletes from other countries would be prohibited, the relaxation room is extremely popular, according to La Stampa. The relaxation room features low lighting, fusion music in the background, shoes left at the door — a controlled environment meant for meditation.

“You have to use your imagination,” the anonymous athlete told La Stampa on finding other ways to relax, noting that many are spending their downtime playing PlayStation while anticipating the arrival of new supplies.

The Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Village operates as a temporary residential hub designed to host athletes from across the globe. Built to accommodate up to 1,400 residents, the complex is made up of modular housing units linked by walkways that funnel into shared community spaces. Set in Fiames, in the heart of the Dolomites, the athletes’ village blends alpine scenery with high-performance functionality.

“From a healthcare perspective, the Lombardy Region is fully committed to ensuring that international athletes and teams receive the best possible care during these weeks,” Fontana said, adding that “health comes first. Concrete prevention and common sense.”