Welcome to your go-to guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics. We’re tracking everything—from real-life heated rivalries (yes, they exist) to under-the-radar sports and surprise standouts—so you can catch up on all of our coverage in one place.
The Olympic Village is often portrayed as a sex-fest. The energy is high, the training is done, and all there’s left to do is, well, perform. So when Italian outlet La Stampa broke the news last week that the free condom supply at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics was finito within days, it sparked a fresh wave of speculation about just how much sex this year’s athletes are having.
For context, around 10,000 condoms were distributed throughout the Village, in Cortina, in keeping with a tradition that began with the Seoul 1988 Games. There are only 2,871 athletes in the Games (and not all of them stay at the Village), so that’s roughly four condoms per person…and counting, as the stock has now reportedly been replenished.
Chances are, not all of them are being put to immediate use—as Reuters reported, some athletes may be stashing them as souvenirs or gifts for friends, or stockpiling them “just in case.” But if history is any indication, we can assume an Olympic condom shortage means plenty of athletes have gotten busy, many of them before they were scheduled to compete. That timing begs the question: Could a sexy pregame influence their athletic performance?
Surprisingly, there’s a bit of actual research on the topic, though it’s primarily in men (of course). A 2022 review mainly busts prior suspicions that sex could hinder performance, finding it has no real impact, good or bad, on things like aerobic fitness, endurance, and power. So from a physical standpoint, at least, there’s little reason for athletes to hold back…assuming they’re still getting good sleep. But according to sex experts, there’s a lot sex could do for their mindset and mental state, which could filter into performance too.
An enjoyable romp could pump up their energy and confidence.
Assuming all parties are consenting and having fun, a hookup can “spin you up, not just energy-wise but in terms of that sense of feeling good about yourself,” Carol Queen, PhD, staff expert at online sex-toy shop Good Vibes and coauthor of The Sex & Pleasure Book, tells SELF. An Olympian might walk out of one with an extra hit of “I’ve got this,” she says.
