THE first Olympic record to be broken in Brazil is the number of condoms being given out: a staggering 450,000. The 10,500 randy athletes will each be given 42 condoms — enough for two to three horizontal tangos a day for the duration of the 17-day sporting event. So, clearly there’ll be a hell of a lot of “scoring” going on at these Games.

But easy access to a prophylactic pile of “camisinhas” (slang for “little shirts”) is a rarity

in Rio because this is a Catholic country.

I visited Brazil recently (I know — it’s a long way to go for a wax.) and I was intoxicated by the vibrant culture — the sensual Samba, the peachy posteriors parading in bikinis, the piranha pate … (I thought I’d better eat it before it ate me).

But what I also discovered is that this is a country that goes for gold in the Sexism Olympics.

I travelled to the Brazilian slums as an ambassador for Plan International, a charity which helps women and girls in developing nations.

What I gleaned is that Brazilian women are runners-up in the human race. While the world watches the cyclists zooming around Rio’s velodrome, we must not forget about Brazil’s more vicious cycle, the cycle of poverty, exacerbated by one of the highest global teenage pregnancy rates.

Strict Catholicism means no contraception, except, according to Pope Francis, “in extreme situations”.

But do you know what you call a woman who uses the rhythm method? Mum.

The daughters of mothers who gave birth in their teens, also give birth in their teens and so on. It’s a vicious cycle — a menstrual cycle, which can only be broken by education and contraception.

Brazil is a patriarchal society. The macho ethos encourages young boys to sow whole acres of wild oats, but girls can’t go on the pill without parental permission.

Most don’t have the 50 cents for a packet of three condoms. The Pope promotes abstinence.

Well, of course, the safest oral contraceptive is the word “no”. But with child prostitution and rape rife in the favelas, this is not an option.

A pregnancy test is the one test you can’t cheat on — and Brazilian girls fail it far too regularly. The placenta is known locally as “the partner” — and in most cases, it’s the only partner present

at the birth.

With as many as one in three children in poor families growing up without their biological father, it’s clear that Brazilian blokes approach commitment with the same enthusiasm a nude guy approaches a barbed wire fence.

Abortion is illegal, even for women carrying foetuses infected by the Zika virus.

With 800,000 illegal abortions carried out each year, many die from backyard butchery.

When women go to the hospital after self-administered terminations, the doctors must report them to the police.

But even so, the spirit of the Brazilian women I met in the slums shone through. Their joy and optimism in the face of adversity made my heart expand like an accordion.

While I didn’t opt for a “Brazilian” in Rio, I will wax lyrical about the resilient young women

of Brazil.

If only the athletes would spare them a few condoms so that they don’t have to play Ovarian Roulette.

@kathylette