Paris Olympics lifts intimacy ban for athletes and is stocking up on 300,000 condoms

The intimacy ban that had been in place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been lifted for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the Olympic village, where the athletes stay during the event, will be stocked with 300,000 condoms, Laurent Michaud, director of the village, told Sky News.

In an interview about the upcoming games, which will be held in the French capital from July 26 to Aug. 11, Michaud said they are preparing for 14,250 residents at the village and are aiming to have 300,000 condoms for the athletes. 

Rules on intimacy went into effect for the 2020 Olympics that were held in Tokyo, Japan in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent the virus from spreading, athletes were asked to limit their physical contact with each other, keeping about six and a half feet between them, except when necessary, like on the field.

Providing condoms at the Olympics has been a tradition since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as an effort to raise awareness for HIV and AIDS, according to CBS Sports. In Tokyo, officials still handed out 150,000 condoms – even though the intimacy rules prevented any scenarios to use them.