- Athletes have been provided with “anti-sex beds”
- Australians in Paris put beds to the test
- Two stars were very unimpressed
Forget sex: Australian athletes simply won’t be able to sleep, judging by one star’s video reaction after trying out the cardboard beds given to competitors for the Paris Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee has cracked down for the first time on privacy in the Athletes’ Village at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.
Despite the ban apparently being lifted, athletes in Paris have been provided with single beds made of flimsy materials in what has been interpreted as an effort to prevent extracurricular activities of a sexual nature.
Paris organisers will provide 300,000 condoms to athletes, but Olympic and Paralympic village director Laurent Michaud previously confirmed they would have to sleep in the same small beds used in Tokyo.
The single beds, produced by Airwave, feature cardboard frames as part of the organizers’ sustainability efforts.
Despite this, Michaud expressed hope that the athletes “feel very excited and comfortable” in the village.
Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns is in Paris and has given her verdict on small beds, along with teammate Gabi Palm.
“I’ve already had a massage to repair the damage,” Kearns posted.
In the video, she opens the video saying: ‘First night on the cardboard beds.’
“My back is about to fall off,” Palm can be heard saying in the background.
“It’s really rock solid. You can move it around a bit, apparently it has a softer side,” Kearns says as he tries to adjust the bed, revealing that the mattresses can be flipped over to change the feel of the bed.
“That was the soft side,” she said later, sounding disappointed.
Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns was not impressed with the standard of beds in the village during the Paris Olympics
Kearns said the beds were rock solid, even when the mattresses were turned to the softer side (pictured)
Many Australian fans shared the athletes’ opinion that the beds were of poor quality.
“Are these the Olympics or the Hunger Games? Seriously, how do they expect elite athletes to perform at their peak whilst sleeping in beds worse than what you’d find on a backpacker’s bed?” one asked.
“How on earth do they get athletes to sleep on what looks like cheap outdoor furniture from Bunnings that’s actually made of cardboard and polystyrene?” asked another.
The water polo stars were not the only athletes to try out the beds upon their arrival in Paris.
Tennis players Daria Saville and Ellen Perez also gave them a good workout in a fun Instagram post.
‘Testing out the cardboard beds in the Olympic Village,’ Saville posted.
Tennis star Daria Saville worked out her Olympic bed with teammate Ellen Perez
They even tested how the beds would withstand a tantrum by smashing them with a racket.
Their video began with Saville doing a cannon before the Aussies hit the hay.
They took turns doing a series of activities including running, using resistance bands, the 80s dance move ‘The Worm’, squat jumps, step ups, volleyball practice and even smashing rackets while laughing out loud.
His antics also had Australian fans laughing out loud.
“Stop the Olympics now, the climax has already arrived,” posted one.
Another follower added: “You’re so funny. I wish you all the best for the Olympics.”
“Well it was designed to be an anti-sex bed so…” a third posted with a laughing emoji.
The men’s and women’s singles tennis events will begin in Paris on July 27.
The women’s water polo team will play its first match against China on July 28.
