Cyprus News Agency

An unnamed athlete told the Italian newspaper, “The supplies ran out in just three days. We were promised that more would arrive, but who knows when.”

The newspaper, blaming the Olympic organizers, stated that they “were not particularly generous with the numbers.” According to La Stampa, “while 300,000 condoms were distributed to athletes in Paris, at a rate of two per day per person, there were even fewer than 10,000 for these Winter Games in Italy.”

Last week, Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana emphasized that the issue should not be considered embarrassing. In a social media post, he said, “Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village. If this seems strange to some, it means they are unaware of the established Olympic practice. This practice began at the 1988 Seoul Olympics to raise awareness about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases among athletes and young people; this should not be a matter of shame.”

Fontana also shared an Instagram post by Spanish figure skater Olivia Smart, in which she showed her followers condoms stamped with the yellow Lombardy Region logo. In the viral video, Smart says, “I found them. Everything you need is here.”