One week away from the start of the 2024 Olympics, the fully recyclable cardboard beds that athletes will be sleeping in have been revealed.
The video shows the mattress has three different modules that allow athletes to pick how firm they want it to be and extend it to fit their height.
This is the same style of bed that was used for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Those beds were the subject of criticism from some athletes, with U.S. track and field star Paul Chelimo claiming they were "aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes" during the Games.
Chelimo's theory was debunked when Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland filmed a video of himself jumping on one of the beds.
Even though that theory didn't seem to hold water, other athletes did express concern about how their bodies would hold up using them for two weeks. U.S. skateboarder Nyjah Houston said in an Instagram video the bed is "uncomfortable" to sleep on.
Katherine Holmes, a U.S. fencer, told Barnaby Lane of Business Insider that it's not uncommon for the sleeping arrangements at the Olympics or other worldwide events to be less than ideal:
"I've competed in several games events. I was in Rio, I've been to two Pan American Games, I've had two World University Games. The beds are never super comfortable. You know, it's fine, I don't wake up in the middle of the night in screaming agony. It's not the most comfortable bed that I've ever slept on, but it's fine. It's kind of funny that they are made from cardboard. They're actually pretty strong. You can bounce on them. It's kind of stupid because if it broke we would have got in trouble, but we bounced on it, and it held up, it was fine."
A spokesman for the Paris Games said in May the beds have been "rigorously tested" to ensure it can fit athletes of all sizes and different body types.
Following the conclusion of the Olympics, the bed frames get recycled with the mattresses and pillows donated to various schools and organizations.
Athletes will be staying at the Olympic village spread out across three different cities. The 2024 Paris Games will begin with the opening ceremony on July 26 and end on Aug. 11.
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