Jul 23
Watch: Tom Daley Investigates 'Anti-Sex Beds' at the Olympic Village in Paris
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 4 MIN.
Out Olympic diver Tom Daley set out to see whether the cardboard beds in the Olympic Village were as flimsily constructed as rumored. The beds are supposedly too frail to hold up to sex.
"The Olympic gold medalist took to TikTok Monday to give fans a closer look at the infamous beds, which were rumored to not be strong enough to withstand sexual activity," Page Six narrated.
"This is cardboard," Daley narrated as he showed off the bed's narrow dimensions and the storage space underneath. "As you can see, it's like a box," he added, though one that was covered by a comfy-looking mattress.
Cardboard as it may have been, the bed held up well to Daley's most energetic testing. The gold medallist jumped on the bed and it held up well under his weight.
@tomdaley CARBOARD BEDS IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE! #paris2024 #olympics ♬ original sound - Tom Daley
Source: Rhys Mcclenaghan/X
The beds carry the inspirational motto "Dream about your achievements of tomorrow," noted UK newspaper The Independent.
"The 30-year-old athlete showed viewers the cute detail as he jumped on the bed," the Independent noted, adding: 'As you can see, they're pretty sturdy!'"
The bed came complete, Daley noted, with a comforter emblazoned "Paris 2024."
The "anti-sex bed" myth originated with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, "when cardboard beds were being used to promote sustainability," Buzzfeed recalled.
Assumptions about what a cardboard bed could and could not withstand were quick to circulate, but even back then athletes took to social media to show that the story about "anti-sex beds" was bunk.
The story was proven false in 2020 by "Irish gymnast named Rhys Mcclenaghan," Buzzfeed recalled.
Mcclenaghan posted video of himself giving the Paris beds a workout, recalling his earlier shakedown of the furnishings from 2020 by saying, "When I tested them last time, they withstood my testing.
"Maybe I wasn't rigorous enough, though," Mcclenaghan went on to say, before leaping onto the Paris bed for a round of energetic bouncing, rolling, and even a handstand.
Satisfied that the furnishings would meet whatever challenges came their way, Mcclenghan denounced the "anti-sex" rumor as "fake news!" with a happy grin.
Other athletes joined in on dispelling the "anti-sex" rumor surrounding the beds, with an Israeli baseball player, Ben Wanger, gathering eight of his teammates for a demonstration of just how much action the cardboard beds can withstand.
The nine Olympians jumped on the bed without breaking it, the newspaper noted.
But the sleeping accommodations are good for sleeping, too.
"We actually enjoy sleeping on these beds," Wanger said in his post, "and think they are a great and sustainable option for future Olympics."
"Anti-sex" rumors concerning the construction of the beds may have been propelled by COVID restrictions that were still in place when the beds were introduced in 2020.
Olympic organizers took the myth in stride, explaining in a statement, "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 & 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."
Added the statement: "It goes without saying that the quality of the furniture has been rigorously tested to ensure it is robust, comfortable and appropriate for all the athletes who will use it, and who span a very broad range of body types."
Daley's demonstration was capped off by the diver flinging himself onto the mattress on all fours, "knowing *exactly* what he was doing," Buzzfeed relayed, and throwing the camera a mischievous smile.
Source: Tom Daley/Tik Tok
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.