Why didn’t Olympic athletes have real beds to sleep in?

Something strange is brewing in the Olympic Village. And no, this time it’s not muffins.

Just like during the last Olympics in 2021, the beds that the world’s best athletes sleep on when they are not training to compete in the Games have gone viral.

According to ForbesIt all started in 2021 when American athlete Paul Chelimo tweeted that the Village’s beds, made from recycled cardboard, were “meant to prevent intimacy between athletes.”

Chelimo said: “The beds will be able to support the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports.”

However, the accusation was quickly denied “on social media by athletes, who posted videos of themselves jumping on the beds to prove their endurance.”

That didn’t stop the rumor from returning to this year’s Olympics. And while the “anti-sex” rumors were once again dispelled, many athletes were “not impressed by the quality of the mattresses in question.”

No good night sleep

“Many athletes say the beds are not particularly comfortable, raising concerns that a poor night’s sleep could affect their performance; some have taken matters into their own hands and purchased mattress covers.”

Gold medalist and member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team, Chiaka Ogbogu, decided (along with a few of her champion teammates) to investigate the matter firsthand. In a video posted to her TikTok account a week ago, she revealed what the mattresses were actually made of.

TikTok currently has 225,100 views and that number continues to grow.

The video caption reads: “Am I the last to know about this? They weren’t lying when they said this is the longest lasting Olympics ever!”

In the video, Ogbogu’s teammates can be seen taking apart one of the mattresses in their room. Obgobu is heard saying, “In case you were wondering what these mattresses are actually made of?”

“I’m amazed,” she says, as the inside of the mattress is revealed to be a thick honeycomb of milky white plastic fibers.

“It’s plastic!” Ogbogu exclaims. A teammate replies: “The optics are bad.”

“You can change the setting, so it’s nice,” Ogbogu says, apparently commenting on a foam mattress topper that sits on top of plastic mattress cushions.

The issue of comfort is just another point of contention that athletes have raised over their treatment at this year’s Games.

The Daily Dot has reached out to the International Olympic Committee via email for a statement.

@chiakaogbogu_ Was I the last to know about this?!!!! They weren’t lying when they said this is the most sustainable Olympics ever!🤯 #olympicvilla #olympicvillage #parisolympics #olympicbeds ♬ original sound – Chiaka Ogbogu

Viewers give their opinion

“Is it comfortable??” Manda C. (@amandaleeann_) asks in the comments. Ogbogu responds, “Haha no.”

“This is literally the material my dog’s outdoor bed is made of…,” another viewer points out.

Another viewer asked, “Did what you did make things better?” Unfortunately, Ogbogu replied, “lol no.”

Another commented: “Why are they treating this like summer camp and not like they are OLYMPIANS?”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Ogbogu via TikTok and Instagram Messenger for further comment.

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