Why have the Paris Olympics 2024 athletes been given over 2 lakh condoms?

The Olympics 2024 is taking place in the city of love this time, and it looks like the organisers are also expecting a love in the air. Reportedly, a whopping 2,00,000 male and 20,000 female condoms have been distributed for the athletes, staff and press at the Olympic Village.

In stark contrast to the COVID-era restrictions of the Tokyo Olympics, where physical contact was widely discouraged, Paris is sending a clear message: athletes deserve to feel comfortable and relaxed. Considering only around 14,250 athletes and a few more thousands of support staff at the village, the number of condoms does seem like a substantial step towards ensuring safe sex or the "extra-curricular frivolities", as the organising committee put it.
Dispelling rumours of anti-sex beds at the Village, organisers are taking this step to promote safe sex among the athletes. The city is redesigning condom packaging to promote sexual consent, tying it to the Games' festive spirit. The package featuring Olympic mascots and messages about safe sex have been distributed throughout the Olympic venues.

"With 200,000 male condoms, 20,000 female condoms, and 10,000 oral dams available to those in the Olympic Village, safe sex is paramount in a notoriously febrile environment, akin to students at college, but sweatier," the Olympics' site said. Laurent Dalard, the first-aid and health services coordinator for Paris 2024, said that enough prophylactics have been distributed to cover the athletes staying at the Olympic Village, as well as those staying further afield.
Further, the packaging has participants gushing and includes different phrases on each of them, such as, 'On the field of love, play fair. Ask for consent', 'Don’t share more than victory, protect yourself against STDs', and 'No need to be a gold medalist to wear it!'

Condoms have been a staple at Olympic Games for decades. Beginning as a modest HIV/AIDS awareness initiative at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the number of condoms provided has skyrocketed over the years, reaching a peak at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

While the Tokyo Olympics imposed restrictions due to the pandemic, previous games, particularly Rio 2016, witnessed a massive distribution of a staggering 4,50,000 condoms. In fact, despite the COVID-19 restrictions imposed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, the tradition of condom distribution persisted.

While the details on the nature of sexual activity in the Olympic Village remain elusive, numerous athletes have publicly acknowledged the extensive prevalence. The usage of dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr are said to be very common within the Village.

Experts opine that it's perfectly natural since these athletes are at their peak in terms of physicality and spend most of their time training. Once the pressure of the competitions are off, they can finally indulge in some fun.

However, many athletes and even coaches think that the Olympic Village is not as prolific as the media paints it to be. Regardless of what actually goes on at the Olympic Village in Paris, it is admirable that the organisers are taking this step to ensure safe sex amongst the athletes.