It is generally accepted that it is better for athletes to abstain from sexual relations before important competitions. Why, then, about 2016 items of contraception were purchased for the participants of the 400 Olympics? And how are things with love among the main participants of the Games in Rio de Janeiro?
Sex, as you know, takes a lot of energy, which is why it is better for male athletes to refrain from sexual contact before important competitions. But after the competition, there is no better relaxation than sex, perhaps this explains the record number of contraceptives purchased for the current Games. Psychology professor Kelly Campbell and colleagues visited the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro and told whether sports victories really coexist with love ones.
“I want to immediately dispel the myth, which is still supported by many coaches, that love relationships, both sexual and platonic, can negatively affect athletic performance. Studies show that love in all its manifestations not only does not harm the achievements of athletes, but also improves them.1. To what extent are the young athletes themselves, of whom there are 10 thousand people at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, ready for this?
To find out the answer to this question, my colleagues and I went to the Olympic Village and spoke with both the athletes and the staff involved in the games who provided insider information.
Only 10% of the athletes surveyed said they had had sexual contact
The very concept of the life of this place already suggests an excellent opportunity for the emergence of a romantic relationship. In close proximity are young people in excellent physical shape, besides having a common interest. Anticipating this, the organizers of the games provided 400 condoms for the participants. Do athletes need such increased care?
Popularity interferes with sex
Of all the athletes we interviewed, only 10% of the athletes answered that they had had sexual contacts. The reason why they did not translate this connection into a long-term relationship, as a rule, was that the athletes were already married or had a permanent partner.
Someone spoke about the lack of time to develop relationships, as he was completely focused on training.
Another 10% admitted to wanting to be intimate with someone who piqued their interest, but didn’t allow themselves to go any further. Athletes said that they were stopped by public fame and they would not like the details of their personal lives to be made public. However, if they were sure that the episode would not be made public, they would have taken the opportunity to have an affair. When we asked those who had sexual intercourse what motivated them to get closer, the athletes talked about the physical attractiveness of the partner and the possibility of frequent eye contact when meeting in the common dining room and at training camps.
Kindness is the new sexuality
The staff working at the games said that before the start of the Olympics and in its first days, tension was felt among the athletes. However, as the games progressed toward the end, staff noticed more couples chatting, hugging, and holding each other’s hands.
Room service workers mentioned that by the end of the games, it was more common for couples to be in their rooms delivering breakfast or dinner. The common language of athletes and their sport play a role. Those who represented the same country and played the same sports tended to form romantic ties more quickly.
The language barrier interferes with sexual relationships, but is not a barrier to romantic ones.
We also asked athletes about platonic relationships with members of the opposite sex.
Approximately 25% of respondents admitted that they did not have close ties. The reasons were cited as lack of time or a language barrier. Another 25% said that they had friendly ties, but only with representatives of their countries, 45% did not stop geographical barriers and they found friends among foreign athletes. When we asked what motivated them to get close to someone, respondents cited openness, warmth and kindness as the main qualities that attracted them.
Obviously, the breathtaking stories of some media about love victories are clearly exaggerated. Yes, romantic unions, no doubt, arise, but 400 thousand condoms, most likely, will not find their addressees. At least in the face of athletes. However, as one of the employees working in the maintenance of the games joked: “There are now not only athletes, but also other living people to whom nothing earthly is alien.”
About the Author:
Kelly Campbell, professor of psychology at the University of California, San Bernardino. He devotes his research to friendship, inter-gender relations and how the state of being in love affects the manifestation of oneself in other areas of social life.
1 K. Campbell et al. «Does Love Influence Athletic Performance? The Perspectives of Olympic Athletes». Review of European Studies, 2016, vol. 8, № 2.