The biggest reactions to the cardboard 'anti-sex' beds at Paris Olympics

With the 2024 Paris Olympics around the corner, social media has turned its attention to the Olympic Village, where athletes are housed during the prestigious event. More specifically, the 'anti-sex' beds that are made from cardboard.

Diver Tom Daley gave his 1.4 million TikTok followers a glimpse into his room, demonstrating how sturdy the bed structure actually is.

"Rêvez vos exploits de demain," the headboard reads, translating to: "Dream about your achievements of tomorrow."

"This is cardboard," the Olympian says. "Then you’ve got the mattress and then this cardboard with the mattress on top with a mattress topper. And then, we get our own Paris ‘24 [comforter]."

"Tom answered the question we ACTUALLY wanted to know," one viewer quipped, while another fellow TikToker chimed in: "I’ll never understand lol like why can they at least provide a bed for world-class athletes. Make no sense!! Like, clear out a hotel or something. Wild."

Australian tennis players Daria Saville and Ellen Perez also posted an Instagram reel 'testing out' the beds with a series of amusing activities, including squat jumping and doing the worm.

The viral news soon spread over to X/Twitter, where people were left scratching their heads.

"These are the fittest young people in the world, sure as hell they’ll find a way," one person joked.

Another added: "Imagine thinking that a small narrow bed is going to stop these superhumans from doing whatever they want."

Meanwhile, one X user was a fan: "Lowkey I’m tryna sleep in those Olympic Village cardboard beds. Look comfy as hell. The whole village looks cosy and calm fr. Might just join the Olympics ."

Despite 'anti-sex' speculation, Olympic organisers lifted the lid on the real reason behind the cardboard beds.

In May, Olympic organizers told Reuters : "We know the media has had a lot of fun with this story since Tokyo 2020, but for Paris 2024, the choice of these beds for the Olympic & Paralympic Village is primarily linked to a wider ambition to ensure minimal environmental impact and a second life for all equipment used during the short period of the Games."

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.