Olympic record? Organizers will provide athletes with nearly half a million condoms in Rio - Los Angeles Times
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Olympic record? Organizers will provide athletes with nearly half a million condoms in Rio

An assortment of condoms
(Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)
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Organizers of the 2016 Rio Games aren’t taking any chances when it comes to safe sex in the Olympic Village.

A record-breaking 450,000 condoms are being provided to athletes, along with 175,000 packets of lubricant to be used during the 17-day event.

That comes out to about 42 condoms per athlete, which means somebody would have to engage in sexual activity two to three times a day throughout their entire stay to take full advantage of the generous handouts.

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As if these folks aren’t under enough pressure.

But then again, this is Rio we’re talking about. And we’ve all surely heard the crazy stories about what supposedly goes on in the Olympic Village.

“With a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you want to build memories, whether it’s sexual, partying or on the field,” women’s soccer star Hope Solo told ESPN back in 2013. “When they’re training, it’s laser focus. When they go out for a drink, it’s 20 drinks. I’ve seen people having sex right out in the open. On the grass, between buildings, people are getting down and dirty.”

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The previous Olympic condom-distribution record was 150,000, distributed to athletes at the London Games. One reason for at least some of the increase is that women’s condoms, 100,000 of them, will be provided for the first time.

And concerns about the Zika virus, which can be spread through sexual activity, probably have something to do with it as well.

Still, nearly half a million condoms for 10,500 athetes?

“It is an absolutely huge allocation of condoms,” Olympic rowing gold and silver medalist Zac Purchase told the Guardian. “But it is all so far from the truth of what it’s like to be in there. It’s not some sexualised cauldron of activity. We’re talking about athletes who are focused on producing the best performance of their lives.”

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