Paris 2024 Olympics: Authorities lift intimacy ban, stock up 300,000 condoms

The authorities have lifted the intimacy ban in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Olympic Village has been stocked with 300,000 condoms, confirmed Olympic Village’s director Laurent Michaud, while speaking to Sky News.

The ban was imposed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and now has been removed after stocking condoms in the Olympic Village, where the athletes will stay during the event.

Speaking about the upcoming games which will be hosted by Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11, Michaud said that they have been making preparations for 14,250 residents at the village and have been planning to store 300,000 condoms for the athletes.

The rules of intimacy were brought into effect in the 2020 Olympics which were held in Tokyo, Japan in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure that there is no spread of the virus, the athletes were directed to limit their physical contact with each other and maintain a distance of around six and a half feet between them.

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Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, it has been a tradition to provide condoms at the games with the aim of raising awareness for HIV and AIDS.

In Tokyo, even during the imposition of intimacy rules, the officials handed out 150,000 condoms.

“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],” said the Olympic organisers, while speaking to Reuters.

What were the COVID-19 guidelines imposed on athletes?

According to the COVID-19 guidelines, the athletes were not permitted to leave their accommodations to meet their competitors and in some other circumstances.

The athletes were directed to avoid unnecessary forms of touch like hugs and handshakes and people watching the games were asked to only clap and not sing or chat.

The athletes had to not meet each other 14 days before their arrival and the next 14 days after they had reached. The athletes also went through periodic health checks and had to wear masks and wash their hands often.

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The global COVID-19 health emergency was ended by the World Health Organisation in 2023 and the Centre for Disease Control this year amended its COVID-19 guidelines, which created a”unified, practical approach to addressing risk” from the virus along with respiratory syncytial virus and influenza and decreased the isolation period.

Michaud added that they wanted to provide the athletes with everything they required in the village and hence, had built a sports bar.

“But it’s going to be a great place so they can share their moment and the environment here. No champagne in the village, of course, but they can have all the champagne they want to in Paris,” he said.