2026 Winter Olympics Ran Out of Condoms — Here’s How Fast Athletes Went Through 10,000
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina have produced plenty of dramatic moments on the ice and snow. But one of the most talked-about storylines from the Games has nothing to do with medals or world records. The Olympic Village ran out of condoms — less than a week after the Winter Games officially began.
The good news? They’ve been restocked.
How the Shortage Came to Light
The issue was first reported on Feb. 12 by Italian outlet La Stampa, which reported a condom shortage at the Olympic Villages. The timing — barely days into the competition — raised eyebrows and drew widespread attention, quickly becoming one of the more lighthearted storylines of the Games.
The International Olympic Committee later confirmed that the supply had been depleted “due to higher-than-anticipated demand” and said it planned to have condoms “continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.”
A spokesperson for the Milan Cortina Olympics organizing committee and International Olympic Committee said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday, Feb. 18: “The IOC works closely with the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee to support the mental and physical health of athletes, including supporting sexual health services. The details of the provision are determined by the OCOG and the IOC believes that appropriate services are available for all athletes.”
The Valentine’s Day Math
Only 10,000 condoms were initially distributed for athletes at the Winter Games. That figure pales in comparison to the 300,000 condoms provided for the 2024 Paris Olympics, although thousands more athletes competed in the Summer Games.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams addressed the situation with reporters on Saturday, Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day — and didn’t shy away from the humor of the moment.
“Shows that Valentine’s Day is in full swing in the village, and I don’t think I can add very much more to that,” Adams told reporters.
He also offered a blunt breakdown for anyone keeping track.
“I think 10,000 (condoms) have been used. So 2,800 athletes, you can go figure, as they say,” Adams said.
That works out to roughly three to four condoms per athlete — and the Games were still ongoing when the shortage was reported. Whether every condom was used for its intended purpose is another question entirely.
Athletes Aren’t Surprised
Madagascar alpine skier Mialitiana Clerc told USA Today she wasn’t shocked to hear about the shortage.
“I know that at the Winter Olympics a lot of people use condoms,” she said. “I saw it in (2022 Winter Olympics) Beijing as well. There were some boxes at the entrance of every building where we were staying, and everything was gone from them.”
Clerc also suggested not all of the condoms necessarily stayed within the village walls. Some athletes, she indicated, may have had other plans for them.
“I already know a lot of people are using some condoms, or maybe taking them to give to their friends outside the Olympics. Maybe they are using them as gifts, just for fans,” she said.
A Tradition Dating Back to 1988
Providing condoms to athletes has been standard practice since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. For nearly four decades, organizers of every Games have made sexual health resources available to the thousands of elite athletes living together in close quarters inside the Olympic Village.
The tradition continued even under unusual circumstances. During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo — actually held in 2021 due to the pandemic — organizers ordered 160,000 condoms to be handed out, according to NPR. That distribution took place despite what amounted to an unofficial COVID-induced “intimacy ban” during those Games.
Why Was the Initial Supply So Small?
One lingering question: why only 10,000 condoms in the first place? The gap between the Milano Cortina figure and the 300,000 distributed in Paris is striking, even accounting for the difference in athlete numbers between the Summer and Winter Games. Neither the IOC nor the Milano Cortina organizing committee addressed the rationale for that initial figure in their public statements.
The IOC treated the situation as a logistical matter to be resolved. By confirming the restock and pledging continuous replenishment through the end of the Games, officials signaled that availability of sexual health resources for athletes remains a priority.
Life inside the Olympic Village
For those following the Winter Olympics from home, the condom shortage may register as little more than an amusing sidebar. But it reflects a broader reality about the Olympic Village environment: thousands of young, elite athletes from around the world live together in a concentrated setting for weeks at a time. The IOC’s longstanding commitment to providing condoms reflects an acknowledgment of that reality and a focus on athlete well-being.
As Adams put it, the numbers speak for themselves — and he didn’t think he could “add very much more to that.”
The 2026 Winter Games continue in Milano Cortina, and with the condom supply now restocked and set to be continuously replenished, at least one logistical challenge of the Olympics appears to be resolved.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
