The PyeongChang Olympics will set a record for most condoms distributed during the Winter Games.
According to the PyeongChang Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Thursday, about 110,000 condoms will be doled out at the Olympic Village and venues. With 2,925 men and women set to participate, it averages out to nearly 38 condoms per athlete over the two-week period, although they will also be accessible to Olympic staff.
The Korean Association for AIDS Prevention supplied 10,000 condoms, and the rest were supplied by homegrown Korean condom brand, BRSG.
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(International Olympic Committee) |
The history of free condoms for Olympic athletes dates back to 1988 Seoul Olympics. About 8,500 condoms were given out then, followed by 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, when the number of free condoms jumped 10-fold to about 90,000.
At 2008 Beijing Olympics, 100,000 were given out, wrapped in the packaging with the then-Olympic motto of “Higher, Faster, Stronger” which gave the tradition even more publicity.
The Summer Olympics to give out the most number of condoms was in Rio in 2016, with 450,000 condoms which translated to about 42 condoms per athlete -- enough for one athlete to use two every day throughout the Olympic period.
The PyeongChang Olympic Organizing Committee will place the condoms at the Olympic Village, at the Main Press Center and at male and female athletes’ washrooms.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (
kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
