Why are Paris 2024 Olympic athletes sleeping on cardboard beds?

This story was originally published here Wired Italy.It has been translated from Italian.

Yes, the players’ beds at the Paris 2024 Olympics will indeed be made of cardboard. The news of paper-based berths has generated curiosity and some skepticism. Some videos of athletes This news, which was circulated online, has been confirmed by French organisers. olympic gameswho pointed out that Airwave, the Japanese company that managed the comfort of athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was “Official Bedding Supporter for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

These cardboard beds can be transported unassembled in relatively small containers, and then, when their job is done, they can be recycled. Yet despite their paper construction, the beds, once properly assembled, are surprisingly sturdy—and for good reason.

“We designed these cardboard beds so that they can support three or four people to jump, because people are very happy after winning a medal,” said Motokuni Takaoka, Airweave’s founder and president.

A sexless bed?

The introduction of cardboard beds reignited the controversy that erupted during the Tokyo Olympics. In 2020, American cross-country skier Paul Chelimo expressed his concerns By posting a video of the beds And there has been speculation that their apparent frailty may be a way to limit intimacy between athletes. However, the no-sex bed theory was later debunked, as distancing measures were implemented by the Olympic Committee aimed at minimising the risk of Covid infection.

However, the ban on intimacy between athletes, which fueled these concerns at the time, was lifted by the Olympic Committee last March. Laurent Michaud, director of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Villages, told Sky News at the time that the committee 300,000 condoms to be distributed To ensure that “everyone gets what they expect and need.”

As for jumping, celebrating or any other type of stress as shown in the athletes’ videos, the beds are designed to withstand weight stress of up to 250 kilograms (550 lbs), as well as being customizable modular. mattress It is a system that has three blocks with different firmness levels, which can be adapted to suit the physique and needs of different athletes.

Durable sleep

16,000 cardboard beds used Mattresses The fully reusable and recyclable uniform for the Paris Games is part of a series of initiatives aimed at making these “the greenest Games ever”, which also includes cleaning up the River Seine.

Last week, Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris Wearing a wetsuit and goggles, she submerged herself in the River Seine, where swimming has been banned for the last century and raw sewage has been discharged into the river for 50 years. The PR stunt was meant to prove that the water is now clean enough for multiple Olympic swimming events; and that three public bathing areas will open after the Games.