Winter Olympics runs out of condoms as 10,000 are snapped up in three days

There is a suggestion athletes at the Winter Olympics in Italy are taking home branded condoms as souvenirs. Photo / Instagram / @fontanaufficiale

The athletes’ village at the Winter Olympics has reportedly run out of condoms after 10,000 free “Milano-Cortina 2026” branded packets were snapped up by athletes.

There are about 3000 athletes competing in Italy, with the Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana telling athletes: “Health first: concrete prevention and common sense.”

They are clearly listening, although the availability has apparently been a significant reduction on Paris 2024 when 300,000 free condoms were shared by 10,000 athletes at a ratio of 30 per person.

“The supplies ran out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told the Italian newspaper La Stampa of the situation at the Winter Games. “They promised us more will arrive, but who knows when?”

The Spanish figure skater Olivia Smart had shared a video inside the athletes’ village last week in which she displayed the limited-edition condoms, stamped with the yellow Lombardy Region logo.

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There is a theory the athletes are not necessarily using them but instead taking them home as souvenirs of the Games. “I found them,” said Smart in the clip. “They have everything you need.”

Fontana has insisted it is a topic that should not be a source of embarrassment. “Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village,” he said. “If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice. It began in Seoul 1988 to raise awareness among athletes and young people about sexually transmitted disease prevention – a topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment.”

Team GB also makes it a priority to provide home comforts to their athletes in the village, with the area stacked out with 130kg of porridge oats, 5000 teabags, a BBC One stream, jigsaw puzzles, a Formula One simulator and Connect 4.

There are also relaxation areas and places where athletes can train. “When we take over our spaces in the village, it’s just a completely empty room,” said Team GB’s deputy chef de mission, Anne Sargent. “We work hard to ship out a lot of entertainment, snacks, the TV and games to make it a real home from home.”

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