Valentine fever hits Olympic village as condoms supply run dry
Romance appears to be sharing the spotlight with sporting excellence at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, after athletes exhausted their free condom allocation ahead of Valentine’s Day, leaving dispensers empty with more than a week of competition still to go.
According to a report by Reuters, organisers had initially distributed about 10,000 condoms across accommodation sites in the host city of Milan and surrounding mountain villages.
The initiative continues a long standing Olympic tradition designed to promote safe relationships among athletes living in close quarters during the Games.
However, demand quickly outpaced supply, prompting a light hearted reaction from Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee.
“Clearly, this shows Valentine’s Day is in full swing at the village,” Adams told reporters. “Ten thousand have been used 2,800 athletes you can go figure, as they say.” He added jokingly, “It is rule 62 of the Olympic Charter that we have to have a condoms story. Faster, higher, stronger, together.”
Games organisers later confirmed the shortage was due to “higher
than anticipated demand,” but reassured participants that fresh supplies were already being delivered.
“Additional supplies are being delivered and will be distributed across all Villages between today and Monday,” organisers said. “They will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.”
The development also caught some competitors by surprise. Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo admitted he was unaware of the situation until recently. “I just saw that this morning. I was, like, shocked as everyone else,” he said.
Meanwhile, Madagascar’s alpine skier Mialitiana Clerc revealed how quickly supplies disappeared. “There were a lot of boxes at the entrance of every building where we were staying, and every day, everything had gone from the boxes,” Clerc said, adding that some athletes even shared them as souvenirs with friends.
While athletes continue to chase medals on the slopes and ice, the empty dispensers highlight that the Olympic spirit of unity and celebration is thriving just as strongly off the field of play.
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