Inside London 2012: Olympic Village Needs More Than 100,000 Condoms

It only took one week to run out of the 70,000 condoms supplied to Olympic Village during the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.  

And during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, 100,000 condoms were ordered for the athletes, but that still was not quite enough. The frequent usage of the condoms is just one side effect of the wild, all-night parties that go down in the Olympic Village, which is supposedly a hotbed of sex, drugs and gold medals. Or at least, that is the claim made by the anonymous author of the new salacious tell-all The Secret Olympics. The author claims to be a former British Olympian himself, giving him firsthand experience to all the secret escapades that go down in the very private and heavily guarded village.

The official Olympic regulations state that alcohol and drugs are banned from the village during the competition; however, the author maintains that it is incredibly easy for the contestants to sneak booze and other drugs into the villages. According to the author, although many of the activities that go down in the village are not sanctioned, they are kept quiet as to not sully the reputable image of the Olympics.

It is not hard to understand why so many condoms are needed during this 17-day competition. The village itself is its own Mt. Olympus, filled with our version of the gods: healthy, incredibly fit athletes in their prime. 

For the duration of the competition, the best of the best from all over the world live together, so it is no surprise that many of them are attractive and attracted to each other. Especially when there are countless lists highlighting the “hottest” athletes, with a few posing in magazines shoots that leave little to the imagination.

If all of this is true, what happens to the athletes who come from cultures that are not as permissive of this sort of behavior?

Many countries, like Qatar and Brunei – both are sending female competitors to the games for the first time – are known for being very socially conservative. Understandably, there might be some trepidation the two young women will encounter when they arrive in London for the games.

However, some of the descriptions in the book of sex and scandal may be exaggerated. In rebuttal to the book’s claims, Todd Lodwick, a 35-year-old-five-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, says, "It’s a tradition — taking so many that they have to replace them … It’s a myth.”  Moreover, with the intense focus, training, and maturity needed to make it to the Olympics, there is little room to throw it all away for one night of partying and pleasure.

Regardless of the condom count for the London 2012 games, everything we need to see will take place in the Olympic arena and what happens in the Village, stays in the Village for a reason.