It started in Tokyo. Athletes arrived in their quarters only to find the bead was made of cardboard. The athletes may not have complained if they were comfortable if the beds were comfortable. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. However, Paris 2024 showed that the beds were not a temporary fix during the COVID-19 pandemic but a permanent change. Champions such as Simone Biles, who had complained in 2021, didn’t like how organizers doubled down on the uncomfortable beds.
However, the athletes weren’t the only ones who voiced their discomfort. Biles coach Cecile Landi tested the new beds two days ahead of the Summer Games. “I sat on it and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I was like, ‘Mary Help!’” Team USA Gymnastics’s joint head coach told Sports Illustrated. Mary McDaniels, who was in charge of logistics, arranged mattresses. However, considering what Biles revealed, it didn’t help.
Simone Biles labeled the beds as the “lowest” point of Paris 2024 when Us Weekly asked her about the highs and lows of this year’s Summer Games. Biles doubled down on the issue, saying the module single-beds would be the one thing she hopes to see changed for LA 2028. The 27-year-old didn’t hesitate to put the onus on organizers, not understanding how much rest an athlete needs.
“We’re the best athletes in the world. So, I feel like for just one or two weeks we deserve the best,” Biles told Us Weekly. Yet why did the eleven-time Olympic medalist dislike these beds so much? Well, that’s because proper sleep is crucial to an athlete’s recovery and performance. The last thing a champion like Biles wants is to lose a medal because she didn’t get enough sleep.
We shouldn’t be stressing about we’re sleeping on a cardboard bed,” added Simone Biles. Paris 2024 showcased an overhauled design for the cardboard beds and provided cushions with three different hardness levels. However, none of these made the notorious anti-intimacy beds any more comfortable.
Unfortunately, the infamous cardboard bed’s uncomfortable design and feel may have been deliberate. However, no clarification about the major change led to speculation. USA track and field athlete Paul Chelimo claimed these beds couldn’t withstand the weight of more than one individual. Hence, they were designed to prevent “situations beyond sports,” joked Chelimo. Yet, Paris 2024 debunked that theory.
Simone spoke for nearly all athletes at the Paris Olympics
Simone Biles wasn’t the only athlete who suffered and spoke on the cardboard beds. Videos of Olympians reviewing the notorious beds spread like wildfire as they arrived at the Olympic Village. However, three-time European pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan was the first to debunk a myth. The gymnast started with the rumored weight capacity test.
“When I tested them last time, they withstood my testing. Maybe I wasn’t rigorous enough,” McClenaghan said on Instagram. The gymnast then proceeded to use the bed more like a trampoline and didn’t even put a dent. “Fake news,” announced the gymnast as he proved the beds had no weight capacity issues. Meanwhile, others reviewed them after trying to catch some quality sleep.
Australian water polo athlete Matilda Kearns and her roommates posted an early morning TikTok about the beds on July 22. Kearns filmed the video to capture the immediate reaction of her fellow athletes after spending the night on the cardboard beds. “My back is about to fall off,” said the athlete’s teammate as she echoed Simone Biles’ complaint about discomfort.
Yet what about the softest cushions? Unfortunately, even the softest cushions were not soft enough. That’s why Cecile Landi asked McDaniels to get hold of mattresses. However, not everyone was lucky enough to get such mattresses and had to move out of the village. France’s own golden boy, Leon Marchand, had to sleep in a hotel to get enough sleep.
Yet, despite the woes and complaints, there’s little indication that Simone Biles’ wish will come true at LA 2028. These beds are 100% recyclable and have added to the Summer Games’ sustainability score. The organizers may not be so keen on getting rid of them.
