Martin Rogers

USA TODAY Sports

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Olympic competition that involves the greatest number of athletes can’t be found on the official schedule, and they don’t give out medals to even the most prolific or accomplished performers.

We are talking about sex, and yes, it apparently happens with astounding frequency in the Athletes’ Village, even as competitors prepare for the most important sporting endeavors of their lives.

The organizers of these Games are prepared and ready for plenty of bedroom gymnastics. The International Olympic Committee confirmed it would provide 450,000 condoms for the Village, which equates to 42 per athlete, or two per day assuming they check in ahead of the event and remain until the end.

Swimmer Alexandre Haldemann from Switzerland arrived in Rio at 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday but quickly figured things out.

“Everyone talks about how there are so many condoms for each athlete, but they don’t just give them to you,” Haldemann said. “You have to go and get them yourself, and you can take as many as you want.”

Giant green vending machines containing the condoms are situated in the food hall and various lounges around the Village, but there is no room for shyness.

“You have to turn the thing and it is really loud,” New Zealand equestrian athlete Clarke Johnstone said. “I just sort of went in and got a couple and then left, to be honest.”

“They are all free,” Noemi Girardet, another Swiss swimmer, added. Girardet said she hadn’t seen many athletes taking the available contraceptives so far but expected traffic to pick up later in the Games once some competitions were completed.

Condom numbers at the Olympics have greatly increased since the first released figures, 8,500 at Seoul in 1988. There were more than 90,000 handed out at Barcelona four years later, and 100,000 in Beijing eight years ago, where the product's packaging brilliantly included the Olympic motto — Faster, Higher, Stronger.

London set a record with 150,000, which has now been smashed by Rio's number, which includes 100,000 female condoms.

Each condom features a clear notice ordering that they must not be resold, while helpfully revealing that they are made of natural latex from the Amazon.

Athletes were said to be disappointed that the packets did not included the Olympic logo, though it might not matter much, as they soon might have other things on their mind.

"Hmm, 450,000?" U.S. gymnast Danell Leyva said. "I hope that's going to be enough."

Contributing: Nancy Armour