Australia's Olympians will get extra protection in Rio with free condoms touted as helping to prevent the sexual transmission of the Zika virus.
Olympians will already have access to free condoms throughout the Olympic Village but the Australian Olympic Committee is taking athlete welfare a step further thanks to two homegrown companies.
Ansell, the world's No.2 condom maker, and Starpharma will provide the Aussies with condoms treated with Starpharma's so-called VivaGel, which in lab studies has shown "near-complete" antiviral protection against Zika.
"The health and wellbeing of the team comes first," Australian chef de mission Kitty Chiller said.
"Our association with Starpharma will provide extra protection for everyone on the team, and is a commonsense approach to a very serious problem we are facing in Rio."
Melbourne-based Starpharma says VivaGel, an antiviral agent that has been proven in laboratory studies to neutralise viruses including HIV and herpes, shows near complete protection against Zika in concentrations weaker than those in the condoms.
The AOC has already teamed up with Bushmans to supply high-strength insect repellent to guard athletes against the mosquitoes that carry and transmit Zika, which has been linked to birth defects.
Golfer Marc Leishman has withdrawn from contention for the Olympics due to concerns over the virus.
The Australian-supplied prophylactics are in addition to the 350,000 male condoms and 100,000 female condoms available - along with 175,000 sachets of lubricant - from free dispensing machines in every Olympic Village building.
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