The athletes’ beds at the Paris 2024 Olympics are indeed made of cardboard. The paper-based berth news was confirmed by the organizers of the French Olympic Games, who announced that Airweave, the Japanese company that provided the athletes’ rest in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is the “official bedding supporter of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” These cardboard beds can be transported unassembled in small containers and recycled after use. Despite being made of paper, the beds are designed to be sturdy enough to support up to three or four people jumping on them, as stated by Motokuni Takaoka, the founder and president of Airweave.
The controversy surrounding the cardboard beds harks back to the Tokyo Olympics, where American cross-country skier Paul Chelimo raised concerns about their fragility possibly limiting intimacy among athletes. The no-sex bed theory was debunked, with Covid safety measures being the primary reason for the design. The ban on intimacy between athletes was lifted, and the Olympic committee even planned to distribute 300,000 condoms to ensure everyone’s needs are met.
The cardboard beds at the Paris 2024 Olympics are designed to withstand weights of up to 250 kilograms and have a customizable modular mattress system with three blocks of different firmness levels. These beds are part of the initiative to make the Paris 2024 Olympics the “Greenest Ever Games,” along with other sustainability efforts such as cleaning up the Seine River.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo recently swam in the Seine to demonstrate its cleanliness, with plans to host swimming events in the river during the Games. The cardboard beds, along with the Airweave mattresses partially made from recycled fishing lines, will be donated to various organizations post-event. Other furniture in the Olympic Village will also be sustainable, including tables made from badminton shuttlecocks, poufs from parachute cloth, and chairs from recycled bottle caps. The catering areas will reduce single-use plastics by half compared to previous Games.
Overall, the Paris 2024 Olympics are not only focusing on athletic achievements but also on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The innovative use of cardboard beds and other eco-friendly initiatives are setting a new standard for future Olympic Games.