For the second straight Summer Olympics, it appears organizers are doing all they can to keep athletes’ cardiovascular fitness solely on the field.
When athletes arrive in Paris’ Olympic Village ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, they will be accustomed to “Anti-Sex” twin-size beds made with cardboard frames by Japanese manufacturer Airweave.
With their limited surface area and thin polyethylene mattresses, many felt the beds were a deliberate attempt to discourage sexual activity between competitors.
But changing up your bedroom space doesn’t necessarily make it any less naughty.
Airweave Chief Operating Officer Brett Thornton told The Washington Post in May that its bed frames are “designed to be much sturdier than a typical wooden bed frame,” but the company has not explicitly suggested or encouraged sexual activity to be performed on its products.
Upon arriving in France in late July, the players immediately put the beds to the test to see if they were fact or fiction, and seemed pleasantly surprised by the results.
Male and female athletes from a range of sports have posted videos on social media showing how the bed can withstand relatively strenuous exercise, including stomping, flips and handstands.
“Fake news!” Irish gymnast Reece McClenaghan shouted in an Instagram video.
The beds are due to arrive during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “No intimate acts allowed” It is rooted in social distancing measures imposed by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
But now Olympic officials appear to be shifting their tune in a more sensual direction.
2024 Paris Olympics
According to Laurent Michaud, mayor of the Paris Olympic Village, 300,000 condoms will be available to athletes this year.
“We want to create a space where athletes can have conversations, debates and share core values related to sport with enthusiasm and comfort,” Michaud said.
Olympians over the decades have attested to the frequent sparks that fly when the sports world converges in one city for nearly a month.
“I’ve seen people having sex openly,” said Hope Solo, a two-time American gold medalist. He told ESPN 2012. “People are getting muddy on the lawns and between buildings.”
But ultimately the focus is on competition, and Airweave’s beds are designed to optimize that.
Using an artificial intelligence scan to determine body type, athletes will receive a customized mattress with three different blocks based on their level of firmness.
With the opening ceremonies starting on July 26 and Olympians already relaxing in Paris, it may only be a matter of time before the bed’s nickname is put to the test.
