British diver Tom Daley took a leap to show off the famed cardboard beds inside the Olympic village ahead of opening ceremonies in Paris. The beds have perplexed fans and the athletes themselves, but hey, Daley's insight made them seem not-so-bad, after all.
"This is cardboard," Daley explained in TikTok video, knocking on the headboard and pulling at the bedpost. "Then you've got the mattress and then this cardboard with the mattress on top with a mattress topper. And then, we get our own Paris '24 [comforter]."
Daley, 30, then jumped up and down on the bed.
"As you can see, they're pretty sturdy," he said.
@tomdaley CARBOARD BEDS IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE! #paris2024 #olympics
As written by E! News:
"Since being introduced at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the cardboard beds have been jokingly referred to as 'anti-sex' beds by whom, as a cheeky nod to the infamous extra-curricular activity rumored to go on during the Games. Still, organizers of the 2020 Olympics have denied the beds were chosen to prevent sex while in the Olympic Village and the 2024 Paris organizers chalking the beds' return to one key attribute: sustainability."
Organizers explained that the beds are the way they are for good reason.
"We know the media has had a lot of fun with this story since Tokyo 2020," organizers told Reuters. "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."
Either way, Daley undoubtedly deserves applause for giving fans an up-close-and-personal look inside the Village.
