Faced with an increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the organizers of the Olympic Games prefer to prevent. Nearly 200,000 male condoms and 20,000 female condoms will be distributed to prevent STIs in the Olympic village during the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11), we learned from the organizers.
“What we are seeing independently of the Olympics is rather an increase in the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in the population,” explains Laurent Dalard, who is responsible for coordinating first aid and health risks for the Olympic Committee. organization of the Paris Olympics.
Leaflets will be distributed and posters will be posted within the Olympic Village polyclinic, located in Saint-Denis, to raise awareness among athletes from all countries. There will also be plans for HIV testing within this polyclinic. 10,000 latex-free condoms and 20,000 oral dams (square latex used for oral sex) were also ordered.
“The possibility of an increase in emergency situations”
Nearly 14,500 athletes and their support are expected in July in Paris at the Olympic village. But making a ratio between the number of athletes present and the number of condoms to deduce information on sexual relations within the Olympic village does not necessarily make sense: a member of the Cojo management had confided ago several months to AFP that certain products available in the village, such as bandages, were sometimes taken by athletes or their loved ones and then taken home.
During the Olympics, “among the infectious risks, there are those linked to sexual health”, including for spectators, recalled Inserm research director emeritus Dominique Costagliola at the beginning of March. “On the ground, we will have to prepare for the possibility of an increase in emergency situations for prescriptions for post-exposure treatment against HIV or screening for sexually transmitted infections. This will impact emergency services,” she said.
