‘It’s weird’: Australian Olympic hero Ian Thorpe reacts to ‘anti-sex beds’ at the Tokyo Olympic Games
Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe has weighed in on the rumoured ‘anti-sex beds’ in the athletes’ village at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
According to an urban legend – which has since been debunked – the frames were designed to buckle under ‘intense physical activity’ in order to discourage athletes from any intimate act that could lead to a Covid-19 outbreak.
The retired competitive swimmer, 38, said the rumour about the beds was ‘weird’ during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday.
‘It’s a weird thing’: Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe (pictured in Sydney last month) has weighed in on the rumoured ‘anti-sex beds’ in the athletes’ village at the Tokyo Olympic Games
‘Did you hear over in the village there’s a sex ban?’ asked radio host Kyle Sandilands.
‘They’re not allowed to get frisky with each other. How dare they try and impose the filth ban!’
‘Yeah we used to have condom sponsors and things,’ said Thorpe, who competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games and 2004 Athens Games.
‘It’s weird that that’s actually happening at these Olympics,’ he added.
Odd: The retired competitive swimmer, 38, said the rumour about the beds was ‘weird’ during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday. Pictured: radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
But Thorpe noted that he’d seen a video on social media of ‘one of the gymnasts jumping up and down on the recycled cardboard beds they’ve made for the athletes to prove you can actually have a go on them, if you want to’.
He then wondered what would happen if a ‘big weightlifter’ or ‘discus thrower’ jumped on the bed, which prompted co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson to say: ‘I think it’d crumble.’
Thorpe was referring to 21-year-old Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan, who filmed himself jumping on the ‘sustainable’ beds in the athletes’ village on Sunday.
Baffled: Thorpe noted that he’d seen a video on social media of ‘one of the gymnasts jumping up and down on the recycled cardboard beds they’ve made for the athletes to prove you can actually have a go on them, if you want to’ – disproving the rumour about the ‘anti-sex beds’
McClenaghan wanted to debunk ‘fake news’ claims that the frames were unstable and could not support ‘strong physical activity’ such as sex.
The footage drew a response from the official Olympics Twitter account, which said: ‘Thanks for debunking the myth… the sustainable beds are sturdy!’
In January last year, officials denied the beds were unsuitable for post-competition revelry, saying they would hold up provided only two people were on them.
Sweet relief: In January last year, officials denied the beds (pictured) were unsuitable for post-competition revelry, saying they would hold up provided only two people were on them