Condom shortage at 2026 Winter Olympics to be replenished
"If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice," said governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana
By Aaron Sugg
Condoms were in high demand at the 2026 Winter Olympics, after supplies in the Olympic Village were temporarily depleted.
The 2026 Winter Olympics began with the Opening Ceremony on 6 February 2026 with Mariah Carey in performance, and will run until 22 February 2026.
The Milan Games in Italy have seen a record-breaking number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing for gold, including the likes of Elis Lundholm, Gus Kenworthy and Attitude 101 Sports list honouree Lewis Gibson.
“Condom supplies in the Olympic Villages were temporarily depleted” – Milan Cortina 2026 organising committee on the condom shortage
The Milan Cortina 2026 organising committee confirmed to People that, after offering out free condoms, the village where the athletes were staying experienced a shortage.
The Olympic body stated: “We can confirm that condom supplies in the Olympic Villages were temporarily depleted due to higher-than-anticipated demand.”
“Additional supplies are being delivered and will be distributed across all Villages between today and Monday. They will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability,” they added.
Fewer than 10,000 condoms were supplied at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Italian outlet La Stampa reported that fewer than 10,000 condoms were supplied for the 2,871 athletes staying in the village, compared with the 300,000 provided at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Last week, the governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, stated in a Facebook post that it was normal practice to supply the contraceptives.
“Yes, we provide free condoms to athletes in the Olympic village,” he wrote. “If this seems strange to some, they’re unaware of the established Olympic practice.”
“A topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment” – governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana on supplying condoms
Fontana explained: “It began in Seoul 1988 to raise awareness among athletes and young people about sexually transmitted disease prevention – a topic that shouldn’t cause embarrassment.”
This is not the first time the 2026 Winter Olympics have caused confusion over sexual conversation, as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) explained it was investigating whether penis enlargement injections are enhancing male ski jumpers’ sporting ability.
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