The free condom supply for athletes staying at the Olympic Village in Milan ran out before Valentine’s Day weekend.
Competitors from around the world were provided 10,000 contraceptives for their stay in Italy, but that inventory was depleted in just three days, Italian outlet La Stampa reported on Thursday, one day ahead of International Condom Day.
The shortage appears to have been caused by low supply rather than athletes having sex at a record pace.
La Stampa said participants in the 2024 Summer Olympics that took place in Paris were given 300,000 condoms. That reportedly amounted to two rubbers per day for every athlete.
Roughly three times the number of athletes compete in the Summer Olympics compared to the Winter Games. Still, it appears organizers significantly underestimated the amount of condoms that would be needed.
One anonymous athlete told La Stampa that more prophylactics were expected to arrive, but said there was no indication of when that would happen. It’s unclear if the drought will continue through the weekend.
The International Olympic Committee began supplying athletes with condoms in 1988 when the Games were hosted in South Korea, according to Sports Illustrated. That program coincided with the AIDS epidemic.
In 2016, the Rio Summer Olympics provided the highest number of condoms ever — a record total of 450,000, or about 42 per athlete during their more than two-week stay, Forbes reported at the time.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Games, which began on Feb. 6, will come to a close on Feb. 22. The United States entered Saturday’s competition trailing Norway and Italy in the medal count.
