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| China to auction Olympics condoms | China to auction Olympics condoms |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| When the Olympics hosted by Beijing ended, a collector snapped up the 5,000 condoms left over from the 100,000 distributed free to athletes. | When the Olympics hosted by Beijing ended, a collector snapped up the 5,000 condoms left over from the 100,000 distributed free to athletes. |
| The collection has now been put up for a one-off auction, with a starting price of one yuan ($0.15; £0.08) each. | The collection has now been put up for a one-off auction, with a starting price of one yuan ($0.15; £0.08) each. |
| Each condom wrapper carries the motto of the Beijing Games - faster, higher, stronger - in English and Chinese. | Each condom wrapper carries the motto of the Beijing Games - faster, higher, stronger - in English and Chinese. |
| The sale will also feature other Olympics memorabilia, the China Daily newspaper reported. | The sale will also feature other Olympics memorabilia, the China Daily newspaper reported. |
| Shy bidders | Shy bidders |
| The entire lot of 5,000 must be purchased by one buyer at the Exceptional Auction of China Sport Collection on 29 November. | |
| "The move is to grab more attention from the public to promote the awareness of safe sex and the prevention of HIV/Aids," said Guo Lei of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association, the auction's host. | |
| Condoms have been handed out to Olympic athletes since Barcelona hosted the Games in 1992. | |
| Some potential buyers might be reluctant to bid for the condoms but being married might help, said Mr Guo. | Some potential buyers might be reluctant to bid for the condoms but being married might help, said Mr Guo. |
| "Although anyone married should be interested for their practical use, some people will be too shy to bid for the condoms," the paper him as saying. | |
| The owner of the condoms, sport memorabilia collector Zhao Xiaokai, is also selling a torch autographed by Brazilian football legend Pele and a Chinese medicine case from the 1936 Games. | The owner of the condoms, sport memorabilia collector Zhao Xiaokai, is also selling a torch autographed by Brazilian football legend Pele and a Chinese medicine case from the 1936 Games. |