Tokyo 2020 bed makers reassure athletes recycled beds won’t collapse during sex

Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut questioned whether the sustainable eco-friendly beds being used in Japan this summer will withstand the athletes’ late-night antics

Tokyo 2020 has set its stall out to be the greenest Olympic Games in history with beds in the athletes’ village set to be made from eco-friendly cardboard, but the manufacturers have already been forced to reassure athletes that there will be no risk of them collapsing if and when they are used for the more frisky activities rather than just sleeping.

The majority of athletes embark on self-imposed sex bans in the build-up to the Olympic Games, which results in a multi-nation love-in once they have completed their events and no longer need to worry about the high demands and rigorous preparations required for elite sport.

But with cardboard beds set to be the only option on offer in Japan, certain athletes have considered the impact on their late-night activities.

Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut raised the alarm when he wrote on Twitter: “Great gesture ... until the athletes finish their said events and the 1000’s of condoms handed out all over the village are put to use.”

But bed manufacturer’s Airweave have confirmed that the frames will be able to withstand up to 200kg loads and have guaranteed that there will be no fears of collapsing – so long as athletes stick to two in a bed.

“We’ve conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds,” an Airweave spokesperson told AFP

“As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load.”

Part of Tokyo’s successful Olympic bid was to stage the most sustainable Games in history, with medals set to be made out of recycled mobile phones and other measures being put in place to encourage recycling.

“We prefer not to destroy things we build but continue to use them,” said Takashi Kitajima, general manager of the Tokyo 2020 athletes’ village at Thursday’s unveiling. “This is a major element for providing sustainability.”

Athletes expressed concern over how the beds would handle intimate encounters (JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty)

What athletes get up to after their events are completed has been well documented over recent Games given the number of condoms that organisers provide at the athletes’ village. London 2012 was dubbed ‘the raunchiest Games in history’ as 150,000 condoms were supplied for the 17-day competition, though Rio 2016 blew them out of the water as 450,000 were provided at an average of 42 per athlete.

Tokyo 2020 have not yet confirmed how many they plan on supplying in the athletes’ village, though organisers have suggested that the total number will be more akin to the London total than what was seen in Brazil four years ago.