A rather unusual crisis has emerged at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with free condoms at the athletes’ village running out within the first few days of competition. The initial stock of 10,000 packs provided by organisers was quickly exhausted, leaving officials scrambling to address the unexpected shortage.
The situation has put organisers in an awkward spotlight, forcing them to promise a fresh batch of supplies, although the exact timeline for replenishment remains unclear. The organising committee has confirmed that additional distribution will continue through the remainder of the Games to ensure athletes have access.
The condom shortage has once again highlighted a long-standing Olympic village tradition, where thousands of athletes live in close proximity for weeks. While the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024 offered a vastly larger supply, Milan’s reduced stock has drawn attention for all the wrong reasons.
The athletes’ village in Milan, located in Cortina d’Ampezzo, has reportedly run out of condoms after organisers slashed supplies from previous editions. Over 9,700 condoms were initially made available for around 2,900 athletes, with more offered upon request, but demand quickly outpaced the limited stock.
Cortina d’Ampezzo serves as a temporary residential complex housing athletes from across the world. With modular units, shared communal spaces and limited privacy, the village environment often creates both close interaction and high demand for such supplies.
Organisers have said they are working to restock and ensure condoms remain available until the end of the tournament. However, the early shortage has already sparked comparisons with past Games, where distribution was far more extensive.
Providing free contraceptives in Olympic villages has long been a tradition, aimed at promoting safe sex and sexual health among competitors living together in close quarters. The initiative has become a familiar part of the Games, sometimes even drawing more attention than organisers might prefer.
The scale of distribution has varied widely across editions. The Paris Olympics in 2024 provided around 200,000 male and 20,000 female condoms for its 10,500 participants, while earlier Games distributed up to 300,000. Milan’s decision to provide only 10,000 has therefore stood out sharply.
The intimacy ban that existed during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions has long been lifted, and the return of normal village life has brought back the usual challenges of managing demand. With athletes spending weeks in a high-pressure environment, organisers continue to view contraception as an important health measure, even if Milan’s early shortage suggests the planning may have fallen short this time.
