Cardboard beds are set to make a comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a bid to help make the games more environmentally friendly – and to ensure the only place Olympic athletes sweat is on the field, say some skeptical athletes.
The now-infamous 100% cardboard bed frame made its debut at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and when athletes arrived at the Olympic Village in Paris this week, they discovered recyclable beds again in their rooms.
Athletes in 2021 are calling the sex scenes “anti-sex” as the Olympic Village has long been rumored to be a hotbed for hookups between athletes. But Olympic organizers say the real focus of the beds is sustainability at a notoriously harsh event.
A video posted on the official YouTube channel of the Olympics shows that “these sustainable beds are 100% made in France and will be fully recycled in France after the Olympics.”
The length of the cardboard base can be adjusted to suit each athlete’s height, and the “mattress” consists of three modules that can be flipped to change the firmness according to each individual’s height. preference.
On social media, Olympians arriving in Paris tested the beds and left various comments about their quality.
Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns wrote on TikTok that she had “had a massage to undo the damage” to her bed, which she said was “rock solid even in its softest setting” ”.
Kearns said her manager rushed to buy mattresses for her team to improve their sleep.
British diver Tom Daley documented himself jumping up and down on the bed, confirming the structure’s sturdiness.
The beds are just one of the Olympics’ efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the mega-event, which organizers say is “the greenest Olympics ever”.
The Athletes’ Village also has no air conditioning, instead cooling is via a system of ducts beneath the floor.
Team USA and other teams balked at the concept, opting to send portable devices to competitors’ rooms.