The upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games is sparking conversations not just about the love of sport and global unity, but about the intimate interactions among athletes behind the scenes.
With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic gradually receding, the Olympic Village is set to embrace a return to normalcy, highlighted even more by an unprecedented move: the distribution of 300,000 condoms to athletes, staff, and media personnel residing in the village.
This initiative is a shift from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where strict social distancing measures and an intimacy ban sought to mitigate the spread of the virus. Organizers of the Paris Games, however, scheduled between July 26th and September 8th, are switching things up for the over 14,000 village residents.
Distributing condoms at the Olympics has a storied history, beginning with the Seoul Games in 1988 as a public health initiative against HIV/AIDS. The practice has evolved over the years, with quantities increasing dramatically, peaking at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with 450,000 condoms.
Yet, Paris’s decision isn’t merely about keeping up with tradition; it’s a stance on sexual health and responsibility. This aligns with the city’s ongoing efforts to revamp condom packaging distributed throughout the year, with a focus on sexual consent and the festive Olympic spirit.
Laurent Michaud, the director of the Olympic and Paralympic Village, in a recent interview with the Washington Post, highlighted the organizers’ intent for participants to “feel very enthusiastic and comfortable,” despite the continued prohibition of alcohol—a staple in maintaining the Olympic spirit of camaraderie and focus.
The narrative around sex at the Olympics is complex and layered, though. There’s no denying the existence of intimate encounters among athletes, given the Olympic Village’s social ecosystem, where high-performing athletes from around the world live and interact. But painting the Olympic Village as a hotbed of sexual activity is perhaps overstated. Many retired athletes and some current ones say the main focus is on competing and winning medals.
