By Hannah Lussier | Managing Editor
You thought that the material to celebrate at this Olympics would be gold? It turns out that it’s actually latex. Since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the world has consistently acknowledged one thing: Olympic athletes have sex. At that event, as a result of the worldwide AIDS crisis, athletes were supplied with condoms (8,500 of them) for the first time. This year, that number has risen to a whopping 110,000. With 2,925 athletes competing in PyeongChang, that number accounts for about 37 condoms per person. While the overall record is still held by the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with 450,000 condoms supplied, the figure for PyeongChang is a record high for any Winter Olympics.
Through the years, a number of athletes from the United States have commented on sex practices in the Olympic Village. Before the 2012 Olympics in London, swimmer Ryan Lochte shared that he believes up to 75 percent of athletes have sex while living in the Village. Former Olympic swimmer, Dana Torres, went as far as to say that “what happens in the Village stays in the Village” in an interview with CNN in 2012. More recently, fan favorite and figure skater extraordinaire Adam Rippon shared some tongue in cheek comments about the condom supply this year. On his Instagram story he stated that he was “disappointed” about the “generic” quality of the condoms. He said, “I thought maybe they’d have Olympic rings on them or they’d be all different colors, but, no.”
While it is fun to imagine Rippon’s scrutiny upon opening an Olympic condom and finding it just as boring as any other he had previously used or to gossip about whether or not our favorite competitors have hooked up behind the scenes, the publicity surrounding condom use at the Olympics has a hidden impact. The sheer number of condoms encourages us to talk about sex. In a lot of places, talking frankly about sex is still taboo. And if talking about sex is not taboo, then talking about safe sex certainly is. Sex talk is almost always negatively charged because our culture often associates sex with guilt, shame or promiscuity. However, when Olympic heroes are speaking openly about sex it helps to cast the topic in a more positive light.
In life it is important to have role models, but it is hard to find a sexual role model who is not exalted for being perfectly chaste. And while chastity is just as valid a sexual choice as any other, it is true that most of the population will not remain celibate throughout their lives. So, why not choose Adam Rippon as your sexual role model? He is famously forthright about his sexuality as a gay man and clearly has a vested interest in practicing safe sex. Who wouldn’t want to be that confident?
Ultimately, the topic of safe sex at the Olympics opens up avenues for talk about sexual education worldwide. In the host country of South Korea, there has even been talk of a “sexual revolution.” So, to whoever first decided it was a good idea to send athletes to the Olympics with protection, thanks for teaching the world to put safety first.
The closing ceremonies for the Olympics are on February 25th. Until then, keep cheering for your favorite athletes and sexual role models!
