by With the opening ceremony just days away on Friday, athletes are settling into their accommodations and sharing their first impressions of the Olympic Village in Paris.
The athletes moving to Paris are largely focused on their cardboard beds, which are making a comeback after their debut at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games. Dubbed by some as “anti-sex beds,” their real intention is sustainability.
The official Olympic YouTube channel previewed the beds, which organizers say will be “fully recycled” at the end of the Games. They feature a multi-part cardboard base and a three-part reversible mattress with firmness options.
So what do athletes think?
Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan has given a full rundown of their durability, as rumours mount that they were installed to discourage sex between athletes. He has jumped up and down and done somersaults in his with no obvious repercussions and has said the idea they are “anti-sex” is “fake news”.
Indeed, there is no indication that Olympic organizers care whether or not athletes have sex with each other. McClenaghan’s video was a replay of his 2021 bed test in Tokyo, where he also found that his cardboard housing was quite sturdy.
Olympic organizers retweeted this 2021 video with a message of appreciation.
Others joined McClenaghan from Paris in publishing bed tests, including British diver Tom Daley, who confirmed McClenaghan’s assessment of their durability.
As for the comfort level of the beds, opinions are mixed.
American gymnast Simone Biles hasn’t commented on her bed. She did, however, give a glimpse inside and out of her bedroom.
Meanwhile, dining options in the village seem plentiful.
As for air conditioning, the initial no-air conditioning plan isn’t sitting well with everyone. Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell details how some delegations have refused to comply with the organizing committee’s climate commitment and have installed air conditioning units to keep their athletes comfortable and fit at the high-stakes Games.
Surfers competing nearly 16,000 kilometers from Paris
Meanwhile, the Olympic surfers will not even stay in metropolitan France, or even on land. They will compete on the other side of the world, in the South Pacific, off the coast of Tahiti, in French Polynesia, about 15,600 kilometers from Paris.
Instead of staying on the island, the Olympic surfers will be housed in a first-of-its-kind floating Olympic village on a cruise ship. The ship is anchored about a five-minute ferry ride from the island.
And for those wondering, no, the beds at the floating Tahiti Village are not made of cardboard. At least not the one owned by German surfer Camilla Kemp:
As for the full accommodation – and the view?
Not too bad.
