‘Anti-sex’ beds made of cardboard to prevent
athletes from being intimate with one other at the Tokyo Olympics has garnered attention
worldwide.

While many have called the Olympic committee’s move
‘bizarre’ some have also found reason with the decision to use cardboard beds for
purposes of sustainability and to prevent COVID-19 spread.

It was Rio Olympics silver medallist in 5,000
meters, Paul Chelimo, who first brought the cardboard beds to attention when he
joked on Twitter:

“Beds to be installed in Tokyo Olympic Village will
be made of cardboard, this is aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes. Beds
will be able withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond
sports. I see no problem for distance runners, even 4 of us can do,” the
athlete wrote while sharing pictures of the beds.

“The beds are meant to be anti-sex. They’re made
out of cardboard, yes, but apparently they’re meant to break with sudden
movement. It’s fake—fake news,” the gymnast wrote.

The official Twitter handle of the Olympics thanked
Rhys McChenaghan for his video and wrote: “The sustainable cardboard beds are
sturdy!”

CNBC reported that the Olympic Village will have
18,000 beds with frames made completely out of cardboard aligned and will be
recycled after the event.

The Olympic organisers have repeatedly requested
players to maintain social distancing and “avoid unnecessary forms of physical
contact” during the pandemic.

In spite of such a mandate, the organisers are
expected to distribute 160,000 condoms among athletes.

“The distributed condoms are
not meant to be used at the Olympic Village, the organising committee told AFP.