A look at the beds and mattresses inside a mattress fitting room in the Athletes’ Village ahead of the Paris Olympics showcases the cardboard frame. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
PARIS – The Paris Olympics have taken social media by storm, and at the top of the trending list are the beds that were provided in the Olympic Village.
“Oh my God, these cardboard beds are so stiff,” said Sierra Vista native Jasmine Schofield, a swimmer competing for Dominica this summer. “It’s actually terrible.”
Paris officials made the decision for the 2024 Games to use the cardboard frames as a part of their initiative to make the Games as eco-friendly as possible.
Many athletes share Schofield’s opinion on the uncomfortable beds. According to Schofield, some have even resorted to buying reinforcements to make their beds more enjoyable.
“Some people hated it so much they got a whole mattress topper because we have a little Mattress Firm like thing in the Village if you’re really that desperate,” Schofield said. “But I’m not trying to haul that all the way back to my room so I just put up with it.”
This is not the first time uncomfortable beds have been an issue.
In 2021, American track and field runner Paul Chelimo’s post on Twitter, now X, went viral for depicting the cardboard bed frame and thin mattress situation athletes were sleeping on in Tokyo, and joked they were “aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes.”
This year, not every athlete shares the same feelings on the sleeping situation in the Village. University of Arizona swimmer Maryam Sheikhalizadehkhanghah, who is representing Azerbaijan, said she hasn’t had an issue sleeping.
“For me, it’s fine,” Sheikhalizadehkhanghah said.
Jamaican swimmer and flag bearer Josh Kirlew said he has slept on the floor before so he can’t complain.
“A bed is a bed at the end of the day,” Kirlew. said
And Trinidad and Tobago runner Jaden Marchan has been adjusting just fine.
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“Honestly, I have been extremely comfortable,” he said.
In addition to the stiff mattresses, athletes have also expressed disappointment in the lack of air conditioning in the village. Olympic officials made it clear from the beginning of their plans not to have A.C. In the facility to keep in accordance with the Games’ eco-friendly initiative. The rooms are cooled instead by a system of water pipes running beneath the floorboards.
The International Energy Agency reported in 2022 that only 19% of European buildings have air conditioning, while 90% of buildings in the U.S. are air conditioned.
That’s why Team USA decided to provide portable air conditioners to its athletes.
“In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability, and the predictability and consistency of what they’re accustomed to,” Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, said at a media briefing, adding that the committee respects organizers’ focus on sustainability.
This July in Paris the average temperature was 82 degrees, with highs reaching into the high 90’s.
Some athletes who don’t have portable air conditioners have said the lack of it in the village has contributed to lackluster performances in their events.
Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon failed to qualify for the 200-meter backstroke and was quoted saying the heat was affecting his ability to rest.
“It’s hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon,” Ceccon told reporters. “Here, I really struggle between the heat and the noise.”
Despite mixed reviews from athletes, the Paris Olympic Committee stands by its decision, emphasizing sustainability and the positive environmental impact of the cardboard beds and no air conditioning.
Following the end of the Games and the athletes’ departures from the Olympic Village, the 14,250 cardboard beds will be recycled and the Village will be repurposed.
The goal is to transform it into a neighborhood with 2,500 new homes, a student residence, a hotel, parks and office spaces.