July 19, 2021: A number of athletes have taken to social media to share a laugh at the comical 'anti-sex' cardboard beds at the Olympic village in Tokyo.
The cardboard beds at the Tokyo Olympic Village are "sturdy", organisers reassured on Monday, after a report warned they weren't strong enough for sex.
Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan filmed himself jumping repeatedly on a bed to prove the point, after the report in the New York Post claimed the beds were deliberately flimsy to promote social distancing. "The beds are meant to be anti-sex. They're made out of cardboard, yes, but apparently they're meant to break with sudden movements. It's fake -- fake news!" McClenaghan said in the video posted on Twitter.
The official Olympics Twitter account thanked McLenaghan for "debunking the myth", adding "the sustainable beds are sturdy!"
US distance runner Paul Chelimo was the first to tweet about the cardboard beds at the Games and had alleged that they were "aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes". In a tweet, he wrote, "Beds will (only) be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports."
Soon after his tweet, the cardboard beds at the Tokyo Games became a topic of discussion online with fans from across the world sharing their views on the organisers idea to install such beds at the Games village. However, IOC has now clarified that the beds are by no means 'anti-sex'.
"We've conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds," a spokesperson of the manufacturer Airweave had earlier told AFP.
"As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load," he added.
The organisers of Tokyo 2020 also made a deal with four condom companies in order to hand out 160,000 condoms for the athletes in the village.
“The distribution of condoms is not for use at the athletes’ village, but to have athletes take them back to their home countries to raise awareness (of HIV and AIDS),” organisers had told Reuters.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The cardboard beds at the Tokyo Olympic Village are "sturdy", organisers reassured on Monday, after a report warned they weren't strong enough for sex.
July 19, 2021: A number of athletes have taken to social media to share a laugh at the comical 'anti-sex' cardboard beds at the Olympic village in Tokyo.
The cardboard beds at the Tokyo Olympic Village are "sturdy", organisers reassured on Monday, after a report warned they weren't strong enough for sex.
Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan filmed himself jumping repeatedly on a bed to prove the point, after the report in the New York Post claimed the beds were deliberately flimsy to promote social distancing. "The beds are meant to be anti-sex. They're made out of cardboard, yes, but apparently they're meant to break with sudden movements. It's fake -- fake news!" McClenaghan said in the video posted on Twitter.
The official Olympics Twitter account thanked McLenaghan for "debunking the myth", adding "the sustainable beds are sturdy!"
US distance runner Paul Chelimo was the first to tweet about the cardboard beds at the Games and had alleged that they were "aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes". In a tweet, he wrote, "Beds will (only) be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports."
Soon after his tweet, the cardboard beds at the Tokyo Games became a topic of discussion online with fans from across the world sharing their views on the organisers idea to install such beds at the Games village. However, IOC has now clarified that the beds are by no means 'anti-sex'.
"We've conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds," a spokesperson of the manufacturer Airweave had earlier told AFP.
"As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load," he added.
The organisers of Tokyo 2020 also made a deal with four condom companies in order to hand out 160,000 condoms for the athletes in the village.
“The distribution of condoms is not for use at the athletes’ village, but to have athletes take them back to their home countries to raise awareness (of HIV and AIDS),” organisers had told Reuters.