Already a record has been smashed ahead of this month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea – for the largest number of free condoms handed out at a Winter Games, organisers say.
A total of 110,000 contraceptive sheaths will be distributed before the beginning of the games on Friday week (9 February) – 10,000 more than at Vancouver in 2010 or Sochi in 2014.
With nearly 3,000 athletes taking part, the number of condoms distributed equates to an average of 37.6 per sportsman and sportswoman – they will be made available to all participants.
The amount of condoms distributed ahead of major sporting events such as the Olympics and Winter Olympics has steadily increased
A total of 110,000 condoms will be distributed during the Winter Olympics, an average of 37.6 per athlete
Organiaers say they are eager to encourage safe sex during the Winter Games
‘Baskets with condoms will be placed at both men’s and women’s toilets at athletes’ villages in Pyeongchang and Gangneung, the main press centre, the media village as well as medical centres, the organisers said.
Rubber manufacturer Convenience Co has donated 100,000 of the condoms, saying it did so for ‘a successful hosting of the Winter Olympics and the prevention of the spread of the HIV virus’.
But spokesman Chung Geun-Sik said many of them would be taken home unopened as souvenirs.
‘We don’t expect the athletes to use them all,’ he added.
Brazilian newspapers reported that about 450,000 condoms were distributed to athletes ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics – a figure that reflects the fact that the number of condoms distributed ahead of major international track, field and winter sports events has consistently risen.
‘Although no one really knows what led to this huge jump in Olympic sexy time, some believe it’s due to the emergence of dating apps,’ Elitedaily.com reported.
‘The truth is, the facade perpetuating nothing but wholesome happenings in the Olympic Village first began to crumble way back in the 1992 games,’ it said.
It is hoped that the arrival of North Korean athletes in South Korea will help reduce tensions between the two countries
The North Korean delegation was accompanied by a heavy police presence and will go straight to the athletes’ village in Gangneung
The North Koreans – wearing fur hats and black coats – arrived to be greeted by a barrage of camera flashes
In a separate development, North Korean skiers and skaters arrived on Thursday in South Korea to take part in the Winter Olympics.
The agreement to go ahead with their participation brought a temporary diminution in tensions caused by the North’s nuclear programme.
The 32-member delegation led by North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil U includes 10 athletes who were invited to compete in the alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating and shot-track speed skating events.
The North Koreans – wearing fur hats and black coats – arrived to be greeted by a barrage of camera flashes. They ignored reporters’ questions and headed directly to buses parked outside the terminal.
Accompanied by a heavy police presence they will go straight to the athletes’ village in Gangneung.
They were the last group of North Korean athletes to arrive for the Olympics. Twelve compatriots in women’s ice hockey have been practicing with their South Korean teammates since last month for the games’ only unified team.
South Korea sees as their presence as an opportunity to revive meaningful communication with the North after a period of animosity and diplomatic stalemate over its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
The South also arranged for a rare chartered flight between the countries to fly the North Korean athletes to the Games. They were accompanied by South Korean non-Olympic skiers who earlier in the day participated in friendly competitions with North Korean skiers at the North’s Masik ski resort at the end of a two-day visit.
‘It’s meaningful that we were able to come back with North Korean athletes on the same plane,’ said Lee Joo-tae, an official from Seoul’s Unification Ministry who accompanied the South Korean delegation.
Another rare sight on Thursday was North Korean flags that began flying in Olympic villages and stadiums in Pyeongchang and Gangneung, something that normally would not be tolerated in a country with a strict anti-communist law still in effect.