Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics sleep on "cardboard"... and an Irish hero exposes the myth (photos)

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It may be very marginal in an Olympics clouded by the specter of the Corona virus, but the beds of the athletes in the Olympic Village have taken a lot of attention in the past few hours, after questioning their durability because they are made of cardboard.

But the organizers reassured that these beds were "strong" enough, reinforcing their position with a video published by Irish gymnast Rhys McClinaghan showing the latter repeatedly jumping on the bed to prove this, in response to allegations in a report by the American newspaper "New York Post" that the beds are weak. Deliberately to promote social distancing.

McClinaghan wrote on Twitter: 'Beds are made of cardboard, yes. They say it's made to be breakable...it's fake news - fake!"

The official account of the Olympic Games thanked the Irish athlete for "debunking the myth", adding that "sustainable families are strong!"

The report, published by the "New York Post", was based on a tweet by American long-distance runner Paul Chelimo, who said, "Cardboard beds can only carry the weight of one person to avoid situations that go beyond sports."

This is not the first time that eco-friendly (recycled) beds have been called into question.

In January, the manufacturer, Arrowwave, said it could withstand a weight of 200 kilograms and underwent rigorous testing, after Australian basketball giant Andrew Bogut questioned its durability.

“We did experiments like putting weights on the beds,” a company spokesperson said, adding, “As long as there are only two people in the bed, (the beds) should be strong enough to support the weight.”

The Olympic Village will host thousands of athletes during the Tokyo Games, which open Friday after a year delay due to the repercussions of the Corona virus.

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