Thousands of athletes from across the globe are getting ready to compete — and sleep — in Paris.
As part of organizers' efforts to make the 2024 Olympics in the French capital the "most responsible and sustainable Games in history," the Olympic Village will be home to cardboard beds made out of fully recycled materials.
A total of 14,250 beds will be spread across the 54-hectacre Olympic Village in the northern part of Paris.
The Olympics shared a glimpse of the cardboard beds on YouTube ahead of the official opening of the Olympic Village on Thursday.
After the 2024 Olympics, the bed frames and mattresses will be recycled and the pillows will be donated to various schools and organizations.
Olympic organizers debuted recyclable beds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and a belief spread that they were designed to prevent sex. The Olympics attempted to dispel that rumor during the Tokyo Games, tweeting out "thanks for debunking the myth" in response to a video of Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan putting the bed's sturdiness on display.
Athletes in the Tokyo Olympic Village — which had additional guidelines compared to other Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic — were not convinced, though. Olympians posted their attempts at breaking the cardboard beds, with many doing just so.
Despite the debate, organizers are sticking with their intentions.
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"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 and Paralympic Village is primarily linked to a wider ambition to ensure minimal environmental impact and a second life for all equipment," a spokesman for the Paris Games told AFP.
Winter Olympians at the 2022 Beijing Games were treated to fully adjustable beds with remotes. Paris Olympians will have a similar setup to Tokyo, though their beds this summer come with different modules for firmness and the ability to adjust for different heights.
