These beds are apparently not for sleeping. (Reuters Photo)
A recent article by ESPN's Sam Alipour, which has published online and in ESPN The Magazine's July 23 Body Issue, has painted a rather interesting view of the Olympic village.
The main point of controversy in Alipour's article is the fact that the IOC reportedly now has a standing order of 100,000 condoms, which are to be distributed amongst athletes at the Olympic Village.
Yes, the number is massive, and that makes it sound like every single one of the 10,000 or so athletes at the village uses at least 10 during their stay. However, news of an Olympic Village that is full of young and promiscuous athletes hardly surprises me.
There'll be lots of these at the Olympics. (Reuters Photo)
If you think about it, the story actually makes sense, considering the fact that many of the athletes are extremely young, and often don't have many chances to blow off a little steam.
Many of these young men and women, especially those that play in the fringe sports, typically don't enjoy the type of celebrity status that some of the bigger named Olympians do. That means that they may not have massive social circles outside of their training teams, or the time to go out and make friends.
For many of these athletes, being in the Olympics may be the highlights of their lives. Some may visit the games only once, and some may make it two or three times. However, they're not going to be there forever, and many of them know it.
How is it surprising then, that sticking a bunch of elite athletes, most of whom are in incredible physical shape, would lead to a number of them enjoying each other's company?
More conservative groups would probably say that the IOC is acting like an enabler for the athletes, but I think they're missing the point. It's something that the athletes are going to be doing anyway, so the organisers are just being responsible.
If the IOC didn't provide protection, then they would be exposing themselves to even more problems. If the rate of sexual activity amongst athletes is that high, the IOC looks at the risk of exposing athletes to STDs and accidental pregnancies. Is that really the right thing to do?
It doesn't matter what the setting is, if you stick a bunch of people in their late teens and early twenties in an enclosed space, a little hanky-panky is going to go on. At least the organisers are taking note of this and trying to make sure that they do their bit to make things a little safer.
What do you think about what goes on in the Olympic Village? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Information was used from the following source:
Will you still medal in the morning? - Sam Alipour, ESPN
