Athletes competing at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris have been having some fun in the build-up to this summer’s action after the return of cardboard ‘anti-sex’ beds. Around 14,250 athletes are using the unique beds in the Olympic Village, and many have taken to social media to share their opinions on the move and entertaining sturdiness tests.

The cardboard beds have previously faced accusations of purposely deterring those competing from having sex during or after the Games.

But the inventor has refuted those claims, insisting each bed – made up of a cardboard base and three-part mattresses of varying firmness – can accommodate up to three people if needed.

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“I was a marathon runner, so I appreciate how important it is to have a good sleep before an event,” Motokuni Takaoka, the Japanese former distance runner, explained.

“They would take two or three people with no worries. They are very robust. The cardboard base is very tough. They will cope with anything the athletes want to do with themselves or their friends.”

Brett Thornton oversaw the fitting process, which involved using AI technology to analyse athletes’ physiques, and he went one further, suggesting the beds could host four bodies.

Tom Daley is eyeing his second Olympic gold medal when he represents Team GB in the diving this summer, was among the athletes to share their tests on social media.

In a 30-second TikTok video, he said: “For those wondering about the cardboard beds in the village, I’m going to show you what they look like!

“This is cardboard, it’s like a box, then you’ve got the mattress and these cardboard boxes here, like so, with the mattress on top, and a mattress topper. And then we get our own little Paris ’24 [as the mattress design].”

Daley then sampled the bed’s sturdiness by running and jumping on the spot, adding: “And as you can see, they’re pretty sturdy!”

Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan performed a series of powerful handstands and flips on his cardboard bed, branding them “anti-sex.”

At previous Games, there have been countless stories of sexual activity between athletes blowing off steam after their respective events.

There have also been complaints of wild partying while other competitors were still preparing for their time to shine.

The cardboard beds were introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where an intimacy ban was imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, that ban has been lifted in Paris, and the Olympic Village has reportedly even been fitted with 300,000 condoms.