Paris Olympics Lifts Intimacy Ban, To Hand Out 300,000 Condoms To Athletes

On Saturday, Olympic Village director Laurent Michaud said that for the 2024 Paris Games, they are lifting the intimacy ban and will have 300,000 condoms available for the 14,250 athletes staying in their quarters. 

In an interview with Sky News, the Olympic Village director said, "It is very important that the conviviality here is something big."

The intimacy ban had been in place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes were asked to limit their physical contact with each other - including sex - and keep a distance of six and a half feet apart from others to stop the spread of the disease, People reported. 

"Working with the athletes commission, we wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel enthusiastic and comfortable," Mr Michaud told Sky News.

While intimacy is allowed again at the Olympics, another vice will not be available to the athletes.

"No champagne in the village, of course, but they can have all the champagne they want also in Paris," said Michaud. "We will have more than 350 meters of buffet with the world food... and I'm sure that the athletes will be very happy to have some French specialties made over here."

Sky News reported that this is the most costly Olympic construction project yet. Paris is expected to spend around $2.1 billion by the time the torch-lighting ceremony rolls around in July.

Meanwhile, the distribution of condoms is a tradition for the Olympics. Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, organizers have handed out contraceptives to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS, CBS Sports reported. Even during the 2020 games, 150,000 condoms were handed out.