Free condoms at Youth Olympics spark protest

Some say it encourages sex, others argue it is important for safe sex education

Condoms (123rf)

The Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee’s decision to make 3,000 condoms freely available to some 1,800 athletes aged between 13 and 18 participating in this year’s Youth Olympics has sparked debate, with some arguing that it encourages teenagers to have sex, while others say it is an effective part of safe sex education.

The committee said Tuesday that it had distributed 2,500 condoms to the Gangneung-Wonju National University athletes village, while the remaining 500 were sent to the Jeongseon High1 athletes village. The condoms are available at the nurse’s office in each athletes village and can be taken for free, as needed, according to officials.

Following the announcement by the committee, the National Federation of Parents’ Organizations issued a statement demanding an apology from the Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games for making condoms available to underage participants.

“Does the mission of the Olympic spirit, which is to build a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport, mean that (we) should also value sexual curiosity or instinctive behavior?” the parents’ organizations said in a press release.

“If the reason behind providing condoms to young athletes is (in case of) curiosity, does that mean that it is acceptable to encourage robbery to teenagers if they are inquisitive about it?” the statement read further, expressing concern that making the condoms so readily available could increase sexual activity among participants.

On the flip side, some say that providing condoms to adolescents can inform them about contraceptives, as well as provide them an opportunity to learn about safe sex.

“It’s a positive signal in raising awareness and responsibility. Rather than stigmatizing sex and regarding it as a taboo, adults should realize that it’s their responsibility to educate the younger generation properly about contraception (so as to) lower rates of unwanted pregnancies,” one comment read on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Members of the South Korean delegation to the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics march into the opening ceremony at Gangneung Oval in Gangeung, Gangwon Province, Friday. The image has no relation to the story. (Yonhap)

Free condom handouts have been a tradition since the 1988 Seoul Olympics in an effort to prevent the spread of AIDS. The program has also been extended to the Youth Olympics.

In line with the International Olympic Committee’s policy, the 2018 Buenos Aires Summer Youth Olympic Games and the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games also handed out free condoms to teen athletes at the Olympic Village.

Held under the slogan of “Grow Together, Shine Forever,” the fourth edition of the Youth Winter Olympic Games kicked off Friday, bringing together 1,802 young athletes from 79 countries across the globe. The games end Feb. 1.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)