An Olympian Shows Us That Their Cardboard Beds Are Just Fine
Turns out elite athletes don't need five-star sleeping arrangements.
The most elite athletes in the world have descended upon Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, which kick off on July 23. Those planning on going for the gold, silver, and bronze at this year's Games are being put up in the Olympic Village—a temporary dwelling built just for this purpose. And while you might think that the best athletes in the world would require five-star sleeping arrangements, you'd be wrong.
Athletes will be sleeping on cardboard beds this year, according to recently surfaced photos.
While they sound questionable at first, these cardboard bedframes have some serious perks. For one, they're easily adjustable to the person sleeping in them. Per Inside The Games, the beds each have "three distinct sections supporting the upper, middle, and lower body, and the hardness of each section can be customized to suit each athlete's body shape." The site further explains that the beds, made of high resistance cardboard, can support a weight of up to 441 lbs.
Another bonus: the frames can be broken down and recycled after the Olympics are over.
Benefits aside, the internet is buzzing about the unconventional sleeping arrangements, with many believing they're meant to deter athletes from having sex with each other, which could lead to the transmission of COVID-19 among other things. Several Olympic athletes have already tested positive for the virus since touching down in Tokyo.
Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan, however, quickly shut down the anti-sex theory, posting a video of himself bouncing on the bed without issue. "It's fake, fake news," he said in the clip, which was retweeted by the official Olympics Twitter account.
While sex inside the Olympic Village isn't necessarily encouraged (competitors have been asked to "avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact such as hugs, high-fives, and handshakes"), athletes are given condoms every year. The Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee noted, however, that the condoms are meant to be taken home by athletes, per the New York Times.
"Cardboard beds are actually stronger than the one made of wood or steel," Airweave, the company that makes the beds, said in a statement, according to the NYT.
It's way more likely that the committee was aiming to go green, as the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee has taken several steps to keep its carbon footprint as small as possible. For example, this year medals are made from small electronics that were donated by the public, according to Olympics.com.
Also, let's be real, it doesn't matter what beds are made of, if there's a will, there's a way, and athletes will canoodle..