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Gymnast Debunks Rumor That Olympians' Beds Are Cardboard To Prevent Them From Having Sex

John Sundholm
Jul. 20, 2021
@McClenaghanRhys/Twitter

Conspiracy theories are absolutely everywhere nowadays.

So it was probably only a matter of time before fake news started coming out of the Tokyo Olympics, too, right?

Hence the rumor the athletes' eco-friendly beds in the Olympic Village are made of cardboard not for sustainability purposes but rather to make sure they'll collapse if the competitors try to have sex in them while in Tokyo.

Sound ridiculous?

That's because it is—so much so that Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan posted a video, seen below, that proves once and for all that the beds are plenty sturdy for, um, whatever the athletes sleeping in them may get up to.

In his video—which McClenaghan cheekily called "today's episode of 'fake news' at the Olympic games"—he showed off a bit of his gymnastics skills by vigorously jumping up and down on the bed to prove the beds are not "anti-sex" before delivering a verdict on the matter.

"Apparently they're meant to break at any sudden movements? Fake news!"

The rumor took root when runner Paul Chelimo tweeted about the cardboard beds last week, claiming they can only support the weight of one person in order to discourage athletes from hooking up.

But McClenaghan proved the beds can really take a pounding.

The beds are constructed of cardboard simply for the good of the environment. The type of cardboard construction used is actually stronger than wood according to an Olympic official.

After McClenaghan debunked the rumor, even the Olympic Committee thanked him for his service.

The Athletes Village at nearly all Olympic Games have historically had a reputation for being hotbeds—pun intended—of sexual activity among the athletes.

So much so that providing athletes with a steady supply of condoms has been common practice for several Olympiads.

But with the pandemic still looming, and a spate of positive virus cases and exposures among the athletes, they are being warned to avoid even casual contact, let alone sexytimes.

Still, at least now the athletes know the beds can handle it if push comes to thrust—er, shove, rather.

On Twitter, people loved McClenaghan's cheeky myth-busting.










The Tokyo Olympics begin this Friday and will run until August 8.