Tokyo Olympics 2020: No condoms allowed at Games village

To avoid the spread of COVID-19, the organizing committee of Tokyo Olympics has decided against distributing condoms to the athletes participating in the Summer Olympic Games.

Condoms at Olympics

Initially, the committee had decided to distribute the condoms as souvenirs. The custom of distributing condoms to athletes at Olympic villages has been in practice since the Seoul Olympics in 1988 to raise the awareness of aids.

Late 1980s and early 1990s was the time when the world saw a dramatic increase in the spread of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

The Olympic committee discouraging the use of condoms at Tokyo village is a frycry from what happened five years ago at the Rio Olympics 2016. It has been reported that around 450,000 condoms were distributed in the Rio Olympic village, of which 100,000 were female condoms.

The first Olympics of the 21st century, which were held in Sydney, saw the organizers arranging 20,000 additional condoms to meet the demand.

The 2018 winter Olympics in PyeongChang had set the record for most condoms ever distributed at the Winter Olympic Games. As many as 2952 participants were given 111,000 condoms.

Introducing the #Tokyo2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village! pic.twitter.com/gPfUNkTlYi

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) June 20, 2021

Other rules and regulations for the Tokyo Olympics 2020

The organizing committee has, however, permitted alcohol consumption within the village rooms.

In addition to restricting athletes, the committee has also come up with guidelines for spectator limits. The spectator limit for the Olympic Games has been set at 50% of venue capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 people.

Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga wants the games with crowds in the stadiums while the organizing bodies are considering the option of holding the events behind the closed doors depending on the control of the spread of the virus.

Japan's capital has been under a state of emergency since late April in the wake of the pandemic. The emergency will be eased and shifted to a quasi-state from Monday and is scheduled to last until July 11.

The organizing committee has drafted a strict set of rules for the athletes. An athlete could be expelled from the game if she or he is found violating these rules. The rules require them to wear a mask at all the times other than when they are in the thick of the action.

Also, every athlete has to undergo daily testing for COVID-19 mandatorily. The organizers have said that more than 80 percent of athletes competing at the games will be vaccinated and they will be stopped from interacting with the public.

The Tokyo Olympic village is ready to welcome around 18,000 athletes and officials. The Olympics will begin on July 23.