Condom shortage hits Winter Olympics as supplies vanish in 3 days

UNITED STATES, February 13 — Olympic medalist and host of the NBC podcast “My New Favorite Olympian,” Adam Rippon answers fan questions about life inside the Olympic Village and the myth behind the condom distribution at the games.

It may be the Winter Games, but the temperature at the Olympic Village is heated. The supply of condoms given to competitors at the Milan Cortina Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa .

Condoms have traditionally been provided to Olympians since the 1988 Seoul Games to raise awareness of sexually transmitted diseases at the height of the aids epidemic. In Paris 2024 , organizers supplied Olympians with 300,000 condoms, though the record goes to the 2016 Rio Olympics, when a whopping 450,000 condoms were distributed.

In Italy, however, it was significantly less: only about 10,000 condoms were distributed. By day three of competition, they were all gone.

“The supplies ran out in just three days," a competitor who asked to remain anonymous told the newspaper. "They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.”

The shortfall has raised eyebrows. While the Paris Olympics had more than 14,000 athletes and officials compared to just under 3,000 competitors in Milan Cortina, the smaller athlete pool hasn’t prevented a rapid shortage.

Organizers have promised a fresh batch of supplies, although the exact timeline for replenishment remains unclear.