Free condoms for competitors at theWinter Olympicsin Milano-Cortina have run out within a record-breaking three days, according to La Stampa. Around 3,000 athletes are competing at the Winter Olympics, compared to around 10,500 in the Paris Games two years ago. However, the supply inCortinahas run short within just 72 hours. Since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, free condoms have been provided to athletes at the Olympic Village in efforts to provide awareness surrounding sexually transmitted diseases amid the AIDS epidemic.

“The supplies ran out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told the Italian newspaper. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when.”

The report blamed the Olympic organisers, saying they had not been “particularly generous with the numbers”.

“In Paris, the athletes received 300,000 condoms – two per day each – but the numbers for these Winter Games were significantly lower: not even 10,000,” La Stampa’s report states.

Last week, the governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, asserted that the topic should not be a cause of embarrassment and shared why free condoms were being given to athletes.

“Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village,” he said in a social media post. “If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice. It began in Seoul in 1988 to raise awareness among athletes and young people about sexually transmitted disease prevention— a topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment.”

After 300,000 free condoms were provided at the 2024 Paris Games, just 10,000 were distributed for the Milan Cortina Games this year. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, 450,000 condoms were provided.

But there are also significantly fewer athletes competing at the Winter Olympics in comparison to the Summer Games. Several athletes are also staying in Milan for their Olympic events, not in Cortina.

Ananya is a journalist with a strong grounding in breaking news and a deep-rooted passion for geopolitics. She has 6 years of experience in TV and Dig...View More

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