Athletes Will Be Provided With 300,000 Condoms at 2024 Paris Olympics as Intimacy Ban Is Lifted

The ban was put in place for the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 20, 2024

(Photo illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The 2024 Paris Olympics will be lifting the intimacy ban that was put in place for the 2021 games in Tokyo. The Olympic Village is expected to be stocked with a staggering 300,000 condoms.

According to SkyNews, 9,000 athletes will reside in the Olympic Village, and the amount of rubbers will be enough for Olympians to use two in one day throughout the games. Condoms were first handed out at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, in an effort to raise awareness about HIV and other STDs.

The village will also include a bar called the Village Club, but no alcohol will be available. The 2024 Olympics will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.

Speaking about the Olympic Village, village director Laurent Michaud emphasized creating a social atmosphere for the athletes. "It is very important that the conviviality here is something big," he said. "Working with the athletes commission, we wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel very enthusiastic and comfortable."

He added, "We will have more than 350 meters of buffet with the world food...and I'm sure that the athletes will be very happy to have some French specialties made over here. But the variety will first respond to the athletes' needs for their nutrition and their performance."

The intimacy ban was put in place for the Tokyo Games in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were only 150,000 condoms available and athletes were asked to wear masks and go through routine health checks. They were also prevented from giving hugs or handshakes.