Many claims have been circulating online about the beds in the Olympic Athletes’ Village that stem whether it really is designed to prevent sex or is strong enough to hold the weight of two people?
Tokyo 2020 Olympic cardboard beds that were supposedly designed to be “anti-sex” have been proven fake by athletes.
Several athletes have posted their experiences about the bed online and one of the athletes, Paul Chelimo, US runner and Olympic silver medalist, shared photos of the beds on Twitter saying that the beds are “aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes.”
Beds to be installed in Tokyo Olympic Village will be made of cardboard, this is aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes
Beds will be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports.
I see no problem for distance runners,even 4 of us can do? pic.twitter.com/J45wlxgtSo
— Paul Chelimo???? (@Paulchelimo) July 17, 2021
The athlete even joked about being careful to not wet the bed because it might fall over, “Those who pee on the bed are at risk here, once the carton box is wet the bed falls over especially it will suck if it’s a night before finals.”
The beds were installed by the Tokyo 2020 organizers who have chosen these beds made from cardboards to prevent potential acts of intimacy inside the village as the structure was supposed to be unable to hold the weight of two people. This was also made to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
However, the beds are proven to be not entirely sex-proof. The beds are capable of holding up to 200kg which is already capable of holding at least 2 people.
Airweave, a Japanese bedding company, has released a statement regarding the accusations. “The cardboard bed frames supplied to the Athletes’ Village are made sturdier than bed frames made of wood or steel,” the bed company wrote in a statement.
“The reason for dividing the mattress into three blocks is to provide each athlete with the optimal firmness that suits their weight, muscle build, and body type,” Airweave added.
Also, Rhys McClenaghan, an Irish gymnast, tested the bed himself, posting a video of him jumping on one of the beds on Twitter.
“Anti-sex” beds at the Olympics pic.twitter.com/2jnFm6mKcB
— Rhys Mcclenaghan (@McClenaghanRhys) July 18, 2021
“Apparently they’re meant to break at any sudden movements. It’s fake! Fake news!” the athlete said whilst he jumps on the bed.
The U.S. women’s rugby team also shared on TikTok their way of testing the beds. In the video, Ilona Maher and her teammates did several fun activities on one of the beds to prove that it’s capable of holding much weight.
@ilonamaher Testing out the cardboard beds at the Olympic Village #beastbeautybrains #olympics #cardboardbeds #tokyoolympics #usarugby #japan #athletes #rugger
Moreover, the bed isn’t just sturdy but also modular and eco-friendly, which can be recycled multiple times over.
The beds are said to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games sustainability plan to ensure that the environment is at the heart of the event. And athletes are wise enough that the danger of the Covid-19 will take them away from adult activities and use the bed entirely for sleeping at this year’s event.
