Condom crisis hits Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Valentine’s Day

MILAN – Athletes at the Milano-Cortina Games seem to have embraced Valentine’s week with their trademark Olympic intensity, racing through their free condom supply to leave dispensers empty before the big day itself.

Some 10,000 prophylactics were distributed across the city and mountain accommodation sites by organisers, continuing a longstanding Olympic practice aimed at promoting safe relationships among mostly young, healthy and energetic competitors living in close quarters.

By Feb 14 the stock had run out, however, with just over a week of the sporting bonanza still to go, adding Milano-Cortina to a long list of Games where demand has comfortably outstripped supply, a now almost-routine Olympic sub-plot.

“Clearly this shows Valentine’s Day is in full swing at the Village,” International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told a press conference on Feb 14. “Ten thousand have been used – 2,800 athletes – you can go figure, as they say.”

“It is Rule 62 of the Olympic Charter that we have to have a condoms story. Faster, higher, stronger, together,” Adams joked.

Milano-Cortina organisers later conceded stocks had been depleted by “higher-than-anticipated demand” but said they were in the process of restocking.

“Additional supplies are being delivered and will be distributed across all Villages between today and Monday,” they said in a statement.

“They will be continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability.”

While athletes are provided with free condoms at every Games, the rush at the 2026 meet has left even the athletes themselves stunned.

“I just saw that this morning. I was, like, shocked as everyone else,” Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo said.

Mialitiana Clerc, an Alpine skier representing Madagascar, said there was nothing left in her accommodation.

“There were a lot of boxes at the entrance of every building where we were staying and every day, everything had gone from the box,” said Clerc.

“I already know that a lot of people are using condoms or giving them to their friends outside of the Olympics because it’s a kind of gift for them.”

While medals remain the official currency of success, the empty dispensers offer a quieter sign that the social side of the Games is thriving as well.

Elsewhere, curling’s world governing body said on Feb 14 that Canada have received a verbal warning over bad language used after accusations of cheating from defending Olympic champions Sweden.

Sweden believed one of the Canadians was repeatedly double-touching, giving the stone another little prod with his finger to correct its course during the Feb 13 round-robin match.

Tempers frayed, with Canada’s Marc Kennedy and Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson trading insults.

“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” said Kennedy. “So I told him (Eriksson) where to stick it. He might have been upset that he was losing.”

Canada went on to win 8-6.

On Feb 14, World Curling said it had spoken with the Canadian officials “to issue a verbal warning regarding the language used”.

“It’s an intense competition... the biggest stage of the world,” Curling Canada chief Nolan Thiessen said. “Do I wish Marc didn’t drop an F bomb? Wrong choice of words, but (it was in the) heat of the moment and we’ll carry on.

“Probably poor choice of words. I think heat of the moment I would allow for as well. Something was said in his ear, which kind of got him going.

“I stand behind those guys. They always play with a lot of integrity and they would never knowingly do anything that was offside from the rules.

“But it shines a little extra light on the sport. Sometimes that’s not a bad thing.”

World Curling said in a statement that video replay to re-umpire game decisions are not used and no violations had been recorded on Feb 13. REUTERS