The Olympics should revive an old tradition – giving thousands of condoms to athletes to use during competition.
On Saturday, the director of the Olympic Village, Laurent Michaud, revealed in an interview with Sky News that the 2024 Paris Games will have 300,000 condoms available for the 14,250 athletes who will be staying on their premises.
“It’s very important that friendliness is a big thing here,” Michaud told the British paper.
This brochure changes the policy for the 2020 Olympics. Although condoms were distributed during the Tokyo Games, officials banned intimacy for athletes due to the COVID pandemic. Athletes have been asked to limit physical contact with each other – including sex – and to keep a distance of six and a half feet from others to stop the spread of the disease.
Handing out condoms is a tradition for the Olympics. Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, organizers have been giving away contraceptives to spread HIV and AIDS awareness, CBS Sports reported. During the 2020 Games, 150,000 condoms were distributed.
Tom Daley showed the athletes’ rooms at the Tokyo Olympics: ‘We can all fit in that shower’
“Working with the athletes’ commission, we wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel very enthusiastic and comfortable,” Michaud told Sky News.
While intimacy is once again allowed at the Olympics, another vice will not be available to athletes.
“There is no champagne in the village, of course, but they can have as much champagne as they want in Paris,” said Michaud. “We will have more than 350 meters of buffet table with world food… and I’m sure the athletes will be very happy that some French specialties are prepared here.”
According to Sky News, this is the most expensive Olympic construction project to date. Paris is expected to spend about 2 billion euros (or roughly $2.1 billion) by the time the torch-lighting ceremony begins in July.
The editors also had a tour of the athletes’ rooms, which have a simple design with two separate beds, shelves and a small balcony with a view of the City of Love.
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A view of the bedroom of the athletes’ apartment for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Olympic Village.
Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
This is not the first time that the audience has had a glimpse of the athletes’ spaces from the inside or heard about the relationships between the athletes.
Athletes brag on TikTok about their favorite food from the dining hall, messy rooms and other features of the Olympic Village (WATCH)
During the 2020 Games, athletes such as rugby star Ilona Maher shared on TikTok what it’s really like to hang out in the Olympic Village, giving fans an inside look at everything from the friendships between competitors to the food served in the canteen.
British diver Tom Daley even demonstrated the showers at one point during the Tokyo Olympics, and American rugby player Cody Melphy set up an entertainment center that included arcade games and table tennis.
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Olympic chief executive Christophe Dubi told Sky News that organizers hoped the Paris Games would serve as a return to normalcy after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to the pandemic.
“It has to be a celebration and it is a celebration. We had many challenges in the past,” Dubi told the newspaper. “In Rio, we faced situations that were incredibly complex. But what you see is that with a little goodwill from everyone — starting with the organizers, but also as far as the Olympic community is concerned — facing challenges and finding solutions… is in the greater interest of presenting the Games.
“What we all want is unity, peace and celebration of the best athletes. This is how this creative family works together,” he continued. “Are there any challenges? We will win.”
The 2024 Paris Games will take place from July 26 to August 11.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education