Diver Tom Daley Shares Look at Cardboard Beds in 2024 Paris Olympic Village
Tom Daley is springing into action to show off the Olympic Village.
Days before the 2024 Paris Olympics kick off with the Opening Ceremony, the British diver gave a peek at the infamous cardboard beds that have perplexed viewers and athletes alike since the 2020 Games.
“This is cardboard,” Tom explained in a July 22 TikTok while knocking on the headboard and pulling at the bedpost. “Then you’ve got the mattress and then this cardboard with the mattress on top with a mattress topper. And then, we get our own Paris ‘24 [comforter].”
While jumping on top of the bed—adorned with the French phrase “Rêvez vos exploits de demain,” meaning “Dream about your achievements of tomorrow”—the 30-year-old added, “As you can see, they’re pretty sturdy!”
Since being introduced at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the cardboard beds have been jokingly referred to as “anti-sex” beds by whom, as a cheeky nod to the infamous extra-curricular activity rumored to go on during the Games. Still, organizers of the 2020 Olympics have denied the beds were chosen to prevent sex while in the Olympic Village and the 2024 Paris organizers chalking the beds’ return to one key attribute: sustainability.
“We know the media has had a lot of fun with this story since Tokyo 2020,” organizers told Reuters in May. “But for Paris 2024, the choice of these beds for the Olympic & Paralympic Village is primarily linked to a wider ambition to ensure minimal environmental impact and a second life for all equipment used during the short period of the Games.”
But that answer isn’t necessarily going to curb the speculation about sexapades in the village. After all, while 150,000 condoms were handed out at the Tokyo Games, with the pandemic-era restrictions lifted, there will be 300,000 condoms available for athletes, per Sky News.
Even Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, who didn’t indulge in the village like other athletes, noted that the event can be an aphrodisiac for some.
"The Olympics is an incredible experience," the 53-year-old gold medalist told E! News earlier this year."All around you, you're meeting so many incredible idols and people you look up to. I think people, of course, after they finish competing, are enjoying themselves."
Now, as we wait for more iconic moments at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which starts July 26, keep reading to relieve some of the viral moments from the Games.
Pita Taufatofua almost broke the internet during his appearance at the Opening Ceremony for the 2016 Olympics. Specifically, while serving as Tonga's flag bearer, the taekwondo practitioner made a stir after wearing a taʻovala, which featured his oiled and shirtless body.
He reprised his flag bearer position at both the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics—and we couldn't be more pleased.
There was a flurry of commotion after one of the electronic snowflakes for the 2014 Olympics' Opening Ceremony in Sochi failed to expand into an Olympic ring.
After Simone Biles revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that her celebrity crush was Zac Efron, the High School Musical alum surprised the Olympian and her teammates on NBC while they were in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games.
After Hoda Kotb teased Efron's presence, Biles declared, "If you bring him out, I think I'm going to pass out."
Thankfully, the gold medalist—who is now married to football player Jonathan Owens—didn't faint and got an A-list visit with the actor, which included a kiss on the cheek.
Tell me somethin', girl: Is that Lady Gaga?
Taekwondo competitor Julyana Al-Sadeq from Jordan had viewers doing a double-take as many thought she looked like the Grammy winner.
Ashley Wagner wasn’t happy after she saw her scores for the short program during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
“I looked at the scores, and with me, what you see is what you get. And I don’t make any apologies for it,” she explained to Bethenny Frankel on the talk-show Bethenny that year. “I made a face, and it was over. It was the face that went around the world.”
Despite that disappointment, Wagner ended the Olympics with a bronze medal in the team event.
A squirrel cheated death after running across the slopes during the 2018 Winter Olympics. In fact, Austrian snowboarded Daniela Ulbing impressively dodged the rodent during the Women's Parallel Giant Slalom event.
McKayla Maroney became an instant meme when she debuted her unimpressed face after receiving the silver medal at the London Olympics.
"I remember doing the face for literally two seconds," the Olympian explained in a 2014 interview with Inside Gymnastics Magazine. "Like, if you watch the video, it's two seconds. And I remember thinking, did I just make a face? Because it's natural. I do it all the time. I have pictures of me when I'm little doing it. I have it on my Mac computer when I'm like 13."
With a record-breaking number of medals, Michael Phelps was already an intimidating opponent at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. And ahead of the 200-meter butterfly semifinal, the swimmer debuted a game face that sent the internet into a tizzy. He later revealed at the MTV Video Music Awards that he was listening to Future while getting in the zone, which caused this expression.
Coach Dean Boxall made an impression at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with his enthusiastic reaction to Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus beating U.S. athlete Katie Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle and taking home the gold.
Aly Raisman's parents, Rick and Lynn Raisman, first went viral at the 2012 London Olympics after they were spotted squirming in their seats as their gymnast daughter competed for the gold.
While Rick told USA Today he was "a little horrified," he went on to bring the same energy to the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Aly—who won two golds and a bronze in London— took home another gold medal and two silvers.
Silver medalist Devin Logan made a splash at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics by having an unexpected good-luck piece. The Olympic freeskier debuted tiny hand trinkets that she'd wave to the crowd after runs. After the tiny hands went viral, the Olympian revealed she got them from her brother.
American bobsledder Johnny Quinn made headlines at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi—but not for his performance on the course. The athlete found himself trapped in a bathroom and was forced to bust through the door. Understandably, this moment caused quite a stir online.
After the pools at the 2016 Olympics started turning green, people began wondering what was going on. According to CBS, the color change was caused by an incorrect amount of hydrogen peroxide being added to the water. Terrible for the Olympics committee, hilarious for those on Twitter.
The 2012 Olympics in London kicked off with a memorable opening ceremony thanks to James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Queen Elizabeth II. In the special intro, the secret agent accompanied the British monarch to the Summer Games, corgis and all. What we didn't expect? The Queen skydiving with Bond into the international event.
(We know she didn't actually skydive, but it gave us a chuckle nonetheless.)
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