Beijing Winter Olympics Committee Provide Condoms, But Hugs Are Prohibited, Minimum Social Distance Of 2 Meters

Illustration of a condom (Pixabay/Anqa)

JAKARTA - The fourth annual winter sports event to be held in Beijing, China is only a matter of days away. Various provisions were determined by the committee, considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the highlights is that the organizers of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are continuing the tradition of providing condoms to athletes, despite social distancing guidelines.

Organizers have detailed social distancing measures intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the 'closed circle' in which the Olympics will take place.

"All Olympic-related units will provide the appropriate number of condoms free of charge at the right time to people who have checked-in to stay in the loop", organizers told Reuters by email, as quoted January 25.

The Olympics will take place from February 4-20 in Beijing and the nearby city of Zhangjiakou in a bubble, which strictly separates athletes and other Olympic personnel from the public.

Apart from athletes, condoms will also be available for journalists. Organizers did not immediately say how many condoms they would distribute.

Journalists who checked into the Guizhou Hotel, which was in a closed-loop, found five condoms wrapped one by one in each room. They are each packed in a different colored envelope decorated with a Chinese lantern.

In the COVID-19 handling guidelines for Olympic personnel, athletes are instructed to minimize physical interactions such as hugs, high fives, and handshakes, and maintain a social distance of at least two meters from fellow athletes.

In the run-up to last Summer's Tokyo Olympics, organizers said they planned to give away about 150,000 condoms. However, they told athletes to take them home instead of using them at the Olympic Athletes Village, due to social distancing rules and Coronavirus measures.

To note, a large number of condoms have been distributed at the Olympics since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. And Tokyo organizers said the International Olympic Committee had requested that the condoms continue to be distributed.