The Olympics’ sex culture

Rappler.com

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The intensity of Olympians exceeds past competition and into the bedroom

HANGING OUT. Usain Bolt hangs out with some new friends. From Bolt's official Twitter account.

MANILA, Philippines – The scene is all too familiar: littered red solo cups, dodgy stains on the carpet floor, lingering smells of every alcohol brand known to man, and—if you’re lucky—half-naked drunks dancing on tabletops who might as well be wearing flashing ‘WELCOME’ signs around their waists.

That’s right. It’s Project X on steroids.

But here’s the zinger—this party doesn’t have your regular mix of hotties and notties, heroes and zeros; at this party, not only does everyone have a six-pack, everyone is endurance-fit and ready to release some pent-up sexual energy.

In fact, this party admits athletes only. And not just any athletes. Olympic athletes.

A recent article in ESPN The Magazine’s July 2012 ‘Body Issue’ revealed it all: not only does the Olympics turn into the world’s wildest, multi-cultural, paparazzi-free party, it also sees a shockingly high incidence of sexual encounters.

In cruder terms, Olympic athletes apparently have sex. Lots of it. In fact, at the 2000 Sydney Games, organizers quickly learned that 70,000 condoms weren’t enough.

Since then, the Olympic standard has been to order 100,000 condoms.

Turns out athletes score more than just baskets or goals.

Body checkin’

With 10,000 athletes in the Summer Olympics and 2,700 in the Winter Olympics, some hanky-panky among competitors is unavoidable.

But most athletes seem to adopt a motto made famous by Barcelona Games swimmer, Summer Sanders: “what happens in the village, stays in the village.”

But even though media personnel (and parents) aren’t allowed into the Olympic Village, it is no secret that the games don’t end when the medals are handed out.

PARTY TIME. Judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison posts a photo from London before going out. Photo from Harrison's official Twitter account.

“There’s a lot of sex going on,” U.S. soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo told ESPN, while swimmer Ryan Lochte, who is currently at London for his third Olympic stint, estimates about 70-75% of athletes are involved.

Sydney Games 2000 Rifle Shooter Josh Lakatos told ESPN of his experience while overstaying his welcome at his team’s Olympic Village home.

For eight days, athletes would trickle in and out of the house, passing by an Oakley duffel bag for condoms from the village’s medical clinic.

It didn’t take Lakatos much longer to realize, “I’m running a friggin’ brothel in the Olympic Village! I’ve never witnessed so much debauchery in my entire life.”

The atmosphere in the Olympic Village—which is in full swing even a week before opening ceremonies—is the first to reflect the rowdy, ready-to-party attitude of its inhabitants, with flags hanging from windows and music blaring on full blast.

“It turns into a frat party with a very nice gene pool,” said two-time soccer gold medalist Julie Foudy.

“[It is] just a magical, fairy-tale place, like Alice in Wonderland, where everything is possible,” added Olympic Winter Games ’94 skier Carrie Sheinberg. “You could win a gold medal and sleep with a really hot guy.”

Going for extra bases

Athletes train with military precision every day.

In between day-long exercise or body-building regimens, they find no time to meet and mingle with others their age. Athletes attribute the craze of Olympic copulation to this year-round ‘loneliness.’

Whether as part of a pre-game ritual or a post-competition stress-release, athletes can’t help but dive right into the Olympic hook-up culture.

READY. Swimmer Ryan Lochte tweets his outfit en route to an athletes party. Photo from Lochte's official Twitter account.

“Think about how hard it is to meet someone,” water polo captain Tony Azevedo said. “Now take an Olympian who trains from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day. When the hell are you supposed to meet someone? Now the pressure is done, you’re meeting like-minded people … and boom.”

Most of these athletes are young, their hormones raging and their urges unsatisfied. Add that to pre-competition adrenaline and a 10,000-calorie diet, and there’s no wonder these Olympians go at it at their first chance.

“Athletes are extremists,” Solo said. “When they’re training, it’s laser focus. When they go out for a drink, it’s 20 drinks. With a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you want to build memories, whether it’s sexual, partying or on the field. I’ve seen people having sex right out in the open. On the grass, between buildings, people are getting down and dirty.”

Morning after

In short, even the Olympics Closing Ceremonies could not mark the end of the true ‘games’ for these athletes. At times, this uncontrolled release of sexual urges would even follow these athletes home.

In 2000, after the Sydney Olympics, over 100 Olympians were on a United Airlines flight heading home to Los Angeles.

As a word of caution, a flight attendant began the journey with a warning over the loud speaker: “Ladies and gentlemen, anybody who wishes to sleep, trade seats with someone in the front of the plane. Everybody else to the back with the Olympians.”

Even on their flights home, athletes reported fooling around in the back rows of the plane and in the lavatory.

“It’s like Vegas,” shot-putter John Godina explained. “You learn not to ask a lot of questions.”

All these revelations are reassuring on one level—gold medal or not, at least we know that these Olympic buffs will be having a good time. – Rappler.com

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