In July, 9,000 athletes will stay at the Olympic Village in Paris, and 300,000 condoms will be available there. This means that each athlete could use about two of them per day, according to Sky News. Intimacy is making a comeback after it was banned at the Olympics at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 certainly complicated the Olympics, and the 2020 Olympics weren't held in Tokyo until 2021, when they were held with restrictions — including the intimacy ban. The athletes were still given condoms though — they just weren't supposed to use them.
Giving out condoms at the Olympics has been a tradition since the 1980s. The tradition is meant to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and promote safe sex.
During the 2020 Olympics, the tradition continued, but in a somewhat strange way. NPR reported that organizers ordered 160,000 condoms for athletes in the Olympic Village. But due to COVID-19 guidelines, athletes were supposed to avoid any unnecessary physical contact with one another.
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It was more than a suggestion though. Athletes were told that if they broke the rules, they faced fines, disqualification, deportation in extreme cases, or loss of their medals, The Guardian reported.
So what were the athletes expected to do with the condoms? Take them home.
"The distribution of condoms is not for use at the athlete's village, but to have athletes take them back to their home countries to raise awareness," Tokyo 2020 organizers told Reuters at the time.
This year, though, athletes will be allowed — and even encouraged — to interact with each other, Sky News reported.
Laurent Michaud, director of the village, told Sky News that the goal is for the Olympic Village to be a comfortable place for the athletes. "We wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel very enthusiastic and comfortable," Michaud told the outlet.
Without social distancing requirements, Laurent is prioritizing creating a friendly and welcoming environment in the village.
Though intimacy is allowed again, alcohol is not — at least not in the village. Michaud told Sky News that there will be "no champagne in the village, of course, but they can have all the champagne they want also in Paris."
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
