Paris will soon host one of the biggest sporting events in the world and organisers from the City of Love have decided to scrape the intimacy restrictions between competing athletes and are stocking up on condoms to distribute in the village. 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.
Laurent Michaud, who's in charge of the Olympics and Paralympics, said there would be 300,000 condoms for athletes living in the village - that's enough for each athlete to have sex 21 times. Talking to Sky News he said, "It's a quantity that makes sure that everybody will have what they're expecting and what they need. We're going to have 14,250 residents, athletes and press officials over here, that are coming for this great event and to live an extraordinary experience here."
"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. The 2024 Paris Olympics Village is the single costliest Olympic project at €2 billion (£1.7bn), largely funded by property investors and using €650 of public funds. The grand Olympics opening ceremony will be staged down River Seine with the athletes onboard a fleet of boats.