Olympic village cardboard beds, explained: Tom Daley, other athletes document unusual room setup in Paris

Hosting the Olympics requires a significant amount of resources for a short period of time. One of Paris' answers to that challenge is cardboard beds.

British diver Tom Daley is among the athletes to show off his own cardboard bed in the Olympic village, where thousands of the world's best talents will stay while they compete in the Summer Olympics.

Such cardboard beds first gained attention three years ago, when they were used during the Tokyo Games. Olympics organizers say there is a common misconception about the beds, though.

Here's what you need to know about the cardboard beds in the Olympic village in France and why they appear to be here to stay.

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Olympic Village cardboard beds, explained

Some Olympic athletes are sounding the alarm on the quality of the beds in the Olympic village as they arrive in Paris.

"You’ve got the mattress and then this cardboard with the mattress on top with a mattress topper," Daley said in a TikTok video. While athletes aren't sleeping on cardboard, the bed frame is made of cardboard.

Daley wanted to make it clear, though, that he wasn't necessarily complaining. He filmed himself jumping on the bed to prove it was sturdy.

Cardboard beds went viral during the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, creating rampant speculation that they were designed to be "anti-sex beds" to keep athletes focused on the competition. Groups that put the Olympics together strongly pushed back on that idea at the time, and they are doing so again in 2024.

"The choice of these beds for the Olympic and 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," Olympic organizers told Reuters in May.

Other athletes have posted videos of themselves jumping on the beds, proving that they can withstand full force and don't have any obvious intentions beyond sustainability. At the same time, there's no doubt cardboard beds likely come much cheaper than typical beds with metal frames.

While cardboard beds might not be ideal for world-class athletes, Paris 2024 organizers are making it clear that they are trying to reduce the waste that is typically created by gathering resources for an influx of people that only stay two or three weeks. Rather than bring in beds that will be rendered useless after the Olympics, organizers are aiming to recycle the cardboard that is supporting each mattress.

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Where is the Olympic Village?

This year's Olympic Village is located in the northern suburbs of Paris in the Saint-Denis, L'Ile Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine sections. The village is intended to keep most athletes in close proximity to the heart of Paris and therefore within 30 minutes of most competition sites.

The Olympic Village is expected to house about 14,000 individuals, including athletes, coaches and officials.