Paris Olympics Lifts Intimacy Ban and Provides 300K Condoms For Participating Athletes

Well that's one way to capture people's attention.

Olympic Village will be stocked with condoms for the 2024 Paris Olympics as the intimacy ban has been lifted.

Put in place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the director of the village where athletes stay, Laurent Michaud, says the condom placement is not for what people may think. The idea is surrounding HIV/AIDS awareness–a tradition since the 1998 Seoul Olympics.

“The distribution of condoms is not for use at the athletes’ village, but to have athletes take them back to their home countries to raise awareness [of HIV and AIDS],” Olympic organizers said at the time.

As the City of Light prepares for 14,250 village residents, it aims to have 300,000 condoms for the athletes. According to CNN, organizers in charge estimate that 200,000 male condoms, 20,000 female condoms, and 10,000 oral condoms will be available during the athletes’ stay in July and August.

There will also be a mental and physical health element added to the village this year. With a clinic fit to treat 600 to 700 patients equipped with specialists, two MRI machines, and a fully stocked pharmacy, plus a space dedicated to mental health, First Aid Coordinator Laurent Dalard said the goal for the village is inclusivity.

“There is a desire to be very inclusive, we have awareness messages which revolve around the issue of consent and pleasure versus performance,” Dalard said.

Intimacy rules went into effect at the 2021 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic to keep participants safe. To prevent the risk of spread, athletes were asked to limit physical contact with each other, keeping six and a half feet between them, except when necessary, like when participating in the games.

Things have lightened up some since then. The global COVID-19 health emergency ended in 2023, and in early 2024, the CDC modified guidelines, creating a “unified, practical approach to addressing risk” from the virus with the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, and shortened the isolation period.

A campaign surrounding bullying will also be implemented for the 2024 games. An awareness campaign aimed at cyberbullying will target athletes. While social media can be used as an avenue for competitive encouragement, it also is used for negative comments after a loss, particularly sexist, racist, body shaming, and more.

For some athletes who don’t have social media managers, there is a chance some comments aren’t controlled. “We have a population that is sometimes very young, who was born with social networks, with screens, and who do not necessarily always have the right practices […] not all athletes are necessarily lucky enough to have community managers,” Dalard said.

Located roughly four miles from the city’s center, the village, Michaud said, will have everything they need—including a sports bar—so there is no need to leave. However, there won’t be any alcohol. “But it’s going to be a great place, so they can share their moments and the environment here,” he said. “No champagne in the village, of course, but they can have all the champagne they want to in Paris.”