Ilona Maher shares thoughts on how Olympians went through 10K condoms

Ilona Maher has a hot take on the condom shortage that took place at the 2026 Winter Olympics . Maher, who competed for Team USA in women's rugby sevens at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, took to Instagram May 7 to "dispel the rumors," telling viewers that she suspected "a lot" of the rubbers were used as keepsakes. "These past Winter Olympics, there was a rumor that over 10,000 condoms were used," Maher said in the clip.

"Now, some were probably used for that purpose, uh, but I'm here to tell you a lot of them were used as souvenirs. " Madagascar alpine skier Mialitiana Clerc offered a similar theory in February, telling USA TODAY Sports that she doesn’t believe they’re all just being used. "When I went to the Olympics, I went and grabbed a handful and now I have them forever," Maher said.

"I was on my bedside table the other day, I found a condom from Tokyo. How cool is that? " A week before the Games were set to conclude, event organizers confirmed that condoms were restocked in the Olympic Villages in Milano Cortina following a shortage.

USA TODAY's Women of the Year: Meet Olympian Ilona Maher The International Olympic Committee later confirmed the supply was depleted "due to higher-than-anticipated demand” and condoms were to be "continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability. " "So that's really the reason, guys. OK.