Sleep like Olympians: 4 fascinating facts about viral cardboard Olympic beds

As the 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, once again the viral cardboard beds have been garnering everyone’s attention. They first grabbed eyeballs in 2021 when an X user Paul Chelimo, an American track and field runner posted about it and said they were designed to avoid intimacy among athletes. While he wrote that the “beds will be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports,” the theory was soon proven wrong by multiple athletes who tested its durability by jumping on them and finding them quite sturdy.
Olympic authorities too jumped in to explain the sustainability statement they were attempting to make through these recyclable beds.

While these videos cleared the air about the beds not being ‘anti-sex’, this aroused the interest of the netizens in the way they were designed and the material that went into making them.

Fascinating facts about viral Olympic bed you should know
Here’s what the Olympics organisers claim about these sustainable beds:

They can support body weight of 440 pounds

Designed to be sustainable and sturdy, these viral beds can support the body weight of 440 pounds. This means at least 4 Olympians can jump on these beds to celebrate their victory without fear of breaking them and sleeping on the floor.

They are comfortable

When you think about a comfortable sleeping experience, resting on a cardboard bed doesn’t exactly come to mind. But if Olympics organisers are to be believed, these mattresses can be quite soft and comfy.

They are recyclable

These eco-friendly beds can also be recycled at the end of the games which is good for the environment too. The Olympics organisers continue to make a green statement and reduce the mega-event’s carbon footprint.
Max Whitlock OBE, an athlete participating in the Olympics for the fourth time, lists 4 fascinating facts about these viral Olympic beds that will leave you fascinated:

1. 16,000 cardboard beds have been made for the village
2. The beds can be extended for taller athletes which means everyone gets to customize the beds as per their choice and comfort.
3. The mattress squares are made from fishing nets which may seem uncomfortable, but are not. These comfy mattresses will give your regular beds a run for their money.
4. You can customize the mattress squares for different firmness – soft, moderate or extra firm. Again, based on your choice, the Olympic players can find comfort.

But there is a catch…

While this is some positive feedback coming from certain athletes, some feel the experience to sleep in these cardboard beds isn’t that great.
Despite the efforts to make the beds eco-friendly, not everyone agrees with the comfort claims of the Olympics organisers. In an Instagram post, a group of Australian athletes complained they had to add mattress toppers to the cardboard beds and rued about not having enough pillows.

If anything, these ‘anti-sex beds‘ are here to stay and get further popular with each Olympic games.