Tom Daley showcases surprising sturdiness of cardboard ‘anti-sex beds’ in the Olympic Village at Paris 2024

Team GB diving icon Tom Daley gave fans a glimpse inside his bedroom in the Olympic Village on Monday ahead of Paris 2024.

One of the big talking points among athletes ahead of this summer’s Games has been the beds that they will sleep on at the official Olympic headquarters.

For the second Games running, the beds have been made using cardboard.

It has been widely and wildly rumoured that this was a move to discourage sexual activity between athletes.

However, Olympic organisers have stressed that they were not designed as ‘anti-sex beds’, but instead to symbolise the competition’s commitment to sustainability.

By jumping up and down on his cardboard bed, Daley showed that it was surprisingly sturdy

British diver Daley, 30, is set to perform in the fifth Olympic Games of his career this summer

Furthermore, while one might assume that a bed made predominantly out of cardboard would break easily, a whole host of athletes have taken to social media in recent days to prove otherwise.

Daley – who will be competing at his fifth Games this summer – uploaded a video to TikTok on Monday with the caption: ‘CARDBOARD BEDS IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE!’

After sharing some close-up shots of the bed’s frame, Daley, 30, then began to jump up and down on top of his mattress, while saying: ‘As you can see, they are pretty sturdy.’

Israeli baseball player Ben Wanger also posted a video to TikTok of himself jumping on the bed without breaking it.

Wanger later deleted his video but in it he had said: ‘We actually enjoy sleeping on these beds, and think they are a great and sustainable option for future Olympics.’

However, the cardboard beds have not proven popular among all athletes.

Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns and team-mate Gabi Palm are seemingly less impressed.

‘Already had a massage to undo the damage,’ Kearns moaned via social media.

Kearns also uploaded a video, which began with her saying: ‘Night one on the cardboard beds’.

Palm was heard in the background saying: ‘My back is about to fall off.’

Trying to adjust the bed, Kearns then added: ‘It’s actually rock solid. You can kind of move it, apparently there is a softer side.’

After flipping the mattress, a disappointed Kearns grumbled: ‘That was the soft side.’