2026 Winter Olympics: 10,000 condom packets used up in just three days at athletes’ village

A general view of Livigno during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

• Condom supplies ran out early at the 2026 Winter Olympics village
• Organisers restock after 10,000 packs run out
• Condom distribution is a long-time Olympic health measure

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An unexpected logistical hiccup has emerged at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where free condoms distributed at the athletes’ village reportedly ran out within the first few days of competition.

Organisers had initially stocked around 10,000 packs for athletes staying at the village in Cortina d’Ampezzo. However, demand quickly exhausted supplies, prompting officials to arrange additional deliveries.

The organising committee confirmed that fresh batches will be distributed throughout the remainder of the Games, though it has not specified an exact timeline for replenishment.

The shortage has drawn attention because condom distribution has long been a routine part of life inside Olympic villages, where thousands of athletes live together in close quarters for several weeks.

The athletes’ village at Cortina d’Ampezzo has been set up as a temporary residential complex housing roughly 2,900 competitors in modular units with shared communal areas.

According to organisers, just under 9,700 condoms were made available initially, with additional supplies offered upon request. However, demand appears to have outpaced expectations almost immediately. Officials acknowledged the shortfall and said they are working to ensure continued availability until the end of the Winter Olympics.

Why are condoms provided at the Olympics?

Providing free contraceptives in Olympic villages is a long-standing public health measure aimed at promoting safe sex among athletes living in a high-pressure and socially intense environment.

The tradition dates back decades and has become an established, if occasionally headline-grabbing, aspect of the Games.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, organisers made approximately 200,000 male condoms and 20,000 female condoms available for around 10,500 athletes. Some previous Summer Games have distributed as many as 300,000.

By comparison, Milan-Cortina’s initial allocation of 10,000 stood out as significantly lower.

During the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers implemented strict distancing measures and discouraged intimacy within the village. With those restrictions now lifted, normal village life has resumed at the Winter Games.

Organisers have said replenishment efforts are underway to avoid further shortages as the competition continues.