There are several common things between running and sex as they help to burn calories, they are also performance enhancers, speed reliant and many more.
For years, hundreds of thousands of condoms are handed out to competitors at the Olympic Games for free. This is an act to promote and encourage the athletes to have safe sex. The condom makers in Japan are in hopes to reveal what they considered their gold-medal innovation: the ultra-thin 0.01mm condom during the coming Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Hiroshi Yamashita, senior manager and spokesman at Sagami Rubber Industries, a leading Japanese condom maker said:
It’s only Japanese companies that now manufacture condoms as thin as 0.01mm to 0.02mm, we see (the Tokyo Games) as an extremely precious opportunity to let the world know about Japan’s high-technology.
In 2016, Japanese companies have manufactured around 417 million condoms. Tomonori Hayashi, marketing manager at Okamoto, which put its own 0.01mm condom on the market in 2015 said:
Condoms are an effective means to help people protect themselves from contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and the thinner they are, the more men tend to use them. We expect that our products will be highly valued at the (Tokyo) Olympics,
Chiaki Yamanaka, an assistant manager at Sagami said that the company had a lot of debate and was worried if the 0.01mm condom would have a demand for it as they have already launched the 0.02mm condom in the market. When they put it out on the market, it proved that the 0.01mm condom to be popular with customers.
Sagami manufactures their polyurethane condoms in Malaysia and to test the product quality, the condom has to go through six different tests. At a facility near Tokyo, the workers there had to test the condoms by filling them with air and water until the condoms burst.
Nearby, there is also a machine to test the resistance to friction which produces a low, deeply unromantic, rhythmic hum. To be able to have a good quality condom, they must be able to resist the friction of at least 100,000 thrusts.
A committee official on condition of anonymity said:
We are planning to provide condoms as one of the amenity items at the athlete’s village, although how many and which brands have yet to be decided,
With the high hopes for an Olympic bonanza, they are planning to ramp up production and open up a new plant in Malaysia to meet the growing demand of 0.01mm condoms.
Condoms distribution at other sporting events
With Japan in hope to introduce their ultra-thin 0.01mm condom in the Olympics, there were condoms being distributed to the athletes in other events. According to Sports Illustrated, in Pyeongchang, the total number of condoms that are being handed out to the athletes is 110,000 condoms which mean with 2,925 athletes competing in Pyeongchang, that will amount to 37 condoms per athlete.
In 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi games, only 100,000 condoms were distributed but in Summer Olympics Rio, the number increased tremendously to 450,000 condoms which mean that amount to 42 condoms per athlete.
How many condoms do you think each athlete will need at the Olympic 2020?
