Toronto Public Health to distribute free World Cup condoms

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It’s not just goalkeepers that’ll be aiming to stop some shots at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

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Toronto Public Health has revealed six World Cup-themed condoms that it will be providing to guests as thousands of visitors flood the city to take in the tournament, which launches in less than a month.

TPH will be giving out free “safer sex supplies” including the “limited-edition” condoms, which bear several different designs.

“Whether you’re attending a soccer match, a watch party, hitting a summer festival or partying, remember that condoms protect the health of you and your partner(s),” TPH’s website reads.

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Among the designs are a soccer ball bulging the twine of a net with the message “What a finish!” and a pair of defenders covering up as if to stop a free kick with the words “block those shots.”

Another design that is labelled “Peaches & Cream” features a peach emoji next to an eggplant emoji holding two soccer balls.

TPH notes that “studies show that using a condom every time you have oral, anal or vaginal sex decreases the risk of sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections (STBBIs), HIV and/or unplanned pregnancy.”

The agency also touted that its sexual health clinics are “pro-choice, inclusive, non-judgmental, respectful, confidential, and harm reduction informed.”

Where are the condoms available?

According to the city’s website, the condoms will be available while supplies last at various locations across Toronto, listing four TPH-operated sexual health clinics.

The locations listed were in the neighbourhoods of Bloor West, Scarborough, Jane-St. Clair, and North York.

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Have other big sporting events given out condoms?

This past February, there reportedly was a shortage of condoms at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, with athletes having scooped up almost 10,000 condoms in just three days.

“The supplies sold out in just three days,” an anonymous athlete told Italian newspaper La Stampa. “They promised us more will arrive but who knows when.”

The shortage comes after organizers delivered a message aiming to to promote safe sex and positive sexual health among competitors.

“Health first: Prevention and common sense” was the slogan used when condoms were handed out while Attilio Fontana, the governor of Lombardy, included a symbol of the region on the packets.

During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, 300,000 condoms were made available to athletes — which actually was down from the 450,000 supplied for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

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