Winter Olympic Village runs out of condoms as athletes use 10,000 in three days

An unusual development has emerged from the Olympic Village, where breaking and setting new world records is usually routine. In a rare crisis, the Olympic village at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games has run out of condoms in a record-breaking three days after the Games began, as the athletes used up all 10,000 free condoms provided by the organisers. The officials are rushing to arrange fresh supplies as the participants have started to complain.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed that 10,000 condoms have been snapped up by athletes at the Milan-Cortina Games, which began on February 6. "10,000 have been used, for 2,800 athletes. Go figure, as they say," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said with a smile at the daily media briefing.

Over 2,800 Olympians living together at the Milan Cortina Games

Over 2,800 athletes from 92 countries are competing across 116 events at the 2026 Winter Olympics. This edition also marks a milestone, with women making up 47% of all competitors, the highest percentage in Winter Games history.

With so many athletes living together in close quarters, the Olympic Village has long been known as a social hotspot alongside intense competition.

The organisers are facing pressure to arrange additional supplies, as more than two weeks of competition remain. Officials may need to increase future estimates in line with the current pace of use.

However, Mialitiana Clerc, a 24-year-old alpine skier from Madagascar, said she had seen free condoms being snapped up quickly at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing four years ago.

"I am not so shocked because I know that at the Winter Olympic Games there are a lot of people using condoms because I saw it in Beijing already," she told AFP.

Clerc revealed that athletes also use condoms as gifts to friends outside the village, apart from using them themselves “I already know that a lot of people are using condoms, or giving them to their friends outside of the Olympics because it's a kind of gift for them.”