University of Calgary breaks STI test world record

Mass urine test had a 'carnival-like' atmosphere

Previous record of 500 in a day was easily surpassed (Getty)

The University of Calgary claims to have broken the world record for most people to get a sexually transmitted infection test in 24 hours, with some 501 peeing in a cup during the attempt.

The university's wellness centre hosted the mass test for gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the hope of raising awareness about the symptom-less infections and encouraging more young people to get checked out.

"The biggest high-risk population is actually this population: young people in Alberta are at the highest risk of getting an STI," said Debbie Bruckner, director of the Wellness Centre. "There are no symptoms for the two types of infections that we're testing."

The centre will now be submitting documentation to Guinness to make the record official, after beating the previously held 500-person record.

The stunt was designed to have a 'carnival-like' atmosphere so that people would not feel that STI tests are something to be ashamed of and therefore avoided.

"For young adults, it's a murky area," said event volunteer Breanna Case. "We still have a lot of religious groups that are opposed to premarital sex … that just compounds the stigma.

"If you admit to having an infection, that means you're obviously engaging in sex, which is sometimes not viewed as appropriate conduct for young adults."