Winter Olympics Village Runs Out of Condoms in Three Days

The Olympic Village at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games has exhausted its entire supply of 10,000 condoms within three days of the competition starting, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa.

An anonymous athlete told the newspaper on Friday, February 13, 2026, that the supplies ran out in record time, raising concerns about the adequacy of provisions for the approximately 2,900 athletes competing in the Games.

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

The shortage has drawn attention to the significant reduction in condom distribution compared to previous Olympic Games. At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, organizers provided 300,000 condoms for over 10,500 athletes, approximately two per day for each participant. The 2016 Rio Olympics holds the record with 450,000 condoms distributed.

Long Standing Olympic Practice

Free condom distribution has been standard practice at Olympic Games since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, introduced as a public health initiative during the AIDS epidemic to promote safe sex awareness among athletes and young people.

Attilio Fontana, governor of the Lombardy region where Milan is located, defended the practice on social media. He wrote that providing free condoms should not cause embarrassment and represents an established Olympic tradition aimed at preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Spanish figure skater Olivia Smart brought additional attention to the issue through a viral Instagram video showing condoms branded with the yellow Lombardy Region logo. In the clip, she says she found them and notes they have everything athletes need.

Organizers Promise Resupply

Olympic organizers have committed to providing additional supplies, though no specific timeline has been announced for when new shipments will arrive. The rapid depletion has caught officials off guard despite the smaller athlete population at the Winter Games compared to Summer Olympics.

The anonymous athlete quoted by La Stampa blamed organizers for not being sufficiently generous with the quantities provided, noting the stark difference between this year and previous Games.

The Milan Cortina Olympic Village offers various amenities beyond health provisions, including a large gymnasium, table football, air hockey, a piano, and complimentary beverages including Coca Cola and smoothies.

The 2026 Winter Olympics features around 2,900 athletes from 92 national committees competing in 116 events across 16 disciplines. The Games mark a historic achievement with the highest percentage of female athletes at 47 percent in Winter Olympics history.

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