The BBC calls it one of the oddest jobs at the ongoing Olympics at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil—the job of the condom guy ensuring Olympians have safe sex during the games. A man named Eric is said to have been walking around the venue with a big sack of rubbers and handing them to athletes. It is estimated that more than 4,50,000 condoms have been arranged for the two-week-long Games.
But if you thought only the sportspeople were having all the fun, there's more. For those who are single (or not) but definitely ready to mingle in Rio, considered to be one of the main cultural hubs in Brazil, the local food, sights and nightlife are providing a backdrop.
According to the popular global dating app, Tinder, it seems that people in the Olympic Village area have been happily 'swiping right' on their phones—profile matches were up by nearly 130 per cent in the first week, daily active users by 64 per cent, swipes by 69 per cent and 'super likes' by 73 per cent.
A spokesperson for the app says, “The Olympic Games have started and Tinder use has skyrocketed in Rio de Janeiro. Over the weekend, matches in the Olympic Village increased by 129 per cent and we expect this trend to continue throughout the Games. Rio has also become the most popular place in the world to swipe using Tinder's passport feature*, with Rio visits increasing by 211 per cent during the same time.”
So if you're there where the action is... um, sports-wise that is, and looking for someone that matches with you, it seems like the phone is all you need.
(*In the paid version of the app, people can match with those in another city.)
