Athletes to get 150,000 condoms but not for use during Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo, June 20 (EFE).- Athletes for the Tokyo Olympics will get condoms with a rider not to use them to comply with anti-Covid measures during the Games, organizers said Sunday.

Takashi Kitajima, the general manager of the Athletes Village, told reporters that the distribution of condoms was to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.

Kitajima said the organizers would ask athletes to take the rubber protections to their home countries rather than using them in the village.

Condoms were distributed to athletes at the quadrennial sporting event after the request by the International Olympic Committee since the 1988 Seoul Games.

Kitajima said the committee had requested the continued distribution during Tokyo Olympics despite the pandemic.

The organizers plan to distribute 150,000 condoms to more than 11,000 athletes for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Japanese capital, media reports said.

The athletes taking part in the Games must comply with a guidebook of anti-virus measures that include social distancing and other prohibited behaviors, including hugging, shaking hands, and other forms of physical contact.

However, they have not mentioned sex in the rule book.

Failure to comply can cause disqualification from the Games or even expulsion from the country, depending on the severity of the offense.

The hosts announced Sunday that alcohol would be allowed inside the Athletes Village.

But it can be consumed in private and indoor spaces and not in parks or outdoor places, Kitajima said.

Athletes will have to eat and drink alone in line with social distancing measures, he added. EFE

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