Amid reports surrounding the provision of “anti-sex” cardboard beds for athletes participating in the Olympic Games this year in Tokyo, its organizers today slammed them saying the beds are “sturdy”.
The statement came following Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan’s video in which he repeatedly jumped on the bed, proving the strength of the bed at the Tokyo Olympic village. In the video posted on Twitter, McClenaghan said the reports are “fake”, directing to the New York Post that claimed the beds were flimsy and made out of cardboard to promote social distancing between athletes. “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!” he said.
This video grabbed the attention of the Olympic organizers as they expressed their gratitude to the Irish athlete for “debunking the myth” from its official Twitter account. “The sustainable beds are sturdy”, the tweet read.
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The incident took place after the New York Post published an article on the US distance runner Paul Chelimo’s tongue-in-cheek tweet. The athlete had said that the cardboard beds were “aimed at avoiding intimacy among” the Olympic participants. “Beds will (only) be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports,” he tweeted.
However, this is the second time these “sustainable beds” have been questioned. Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut had raised questions over their durability in January this year. Responding to the query, manufacturer Airweave said the beds were strong enough to bear the weight of 200 kilos and have passed several strict stress tests to ensure its strength.
“We’ve conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds. As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load,” the company had said.
The Olympic Games 2020 will commence on 23rd July, Friday, after getting delayed due to the covid-19 pandemic. Thousands of athletes from different countries will stay in the Olympic Village.
The sports competition continues to be in the news as reports say the organizers are likely to distribute 160,000 condoms to the participants, despite warnings to “avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact”.
Defending the move, its organizing committee said that the condoms are not for use during the competition at the Olympic Village but instead to be taken back to their respective countries. It is a part of their campaign to raise awareness in the world about HIV and AIDS, they said.
