Free Condoms to Olympic Visitors in China

BEIJING: Beijing authorities are distributing 400,000 free condoms to visitors during the Olympic Games to promote safe sex and prevent the risk of AIDS infection in Beijing and four other co-host cities in China.

Jin Dapeng, a senior official of the health bureau said the condoms had been put in more than 90,000 rooms of 424 hotels rated three stars and above. They included 119 contract hotels in which rooms have been rented by the Olympic Games organisers and Olympic committees of different countries.

An additional 100,000 condoms of "high quality" have been made available for distribution at the health clinic in the Games village, where athletes and some of the sports officials are living.

Free AIDS testing and counselling is being made available in 40 clinics in Beijing's 18 districts and counties. Besides condoms, the bureau is also distributing 250,000 pamphlets in English, French and Chinese to propagate the idea of AIDS prevention and control in different hotels.

Assisting the distributing of these material are hundreds of trained volunteers, who are acting on advice from the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and the International Olympic Committee, UNAIDS and IOC are actively involved in the drive to ensure safe sex during the Games.

Jin said 180 college students and 500 community volunteers are involved in the task