Rewind to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and you might remember hearing that organizers distributed 450,000 condoms and 175,000 sachets of lube.
They first started passing out jimmies at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul and ever since then there’s been news coverage about athletes shaking the sheets. And this year there was a big piece of fake news floating around about how the cardboard beds the Olympic athletes will sleep on were designed to prevent bonking.
Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan busted this myth when he took a video of himself jumping on the beds to show they could hold up to weight.
In fact, the bed frames—which can hold up to 450 pounds—are made by a company called Airweave.
Airweave is a Japanese bedding manufacturer that creates ”100% spine aligning, pain-relieving, and breathable airfiber” mattress toppers that are used on top of a cardboard base. Airfiber is the company’s proprietary material that makes up the core of Airweave’s mattresses.
And the reason behind the cardboard beds? Yep, you guessed it—sustainability. Not only can each frame be recycled into paper products after use, but all of the mattresses can also be recycled into plastic.
So no, the cardboard beds aren’t to prevent athletes from doing any hanky panky. And that’s a real win for the athletes who are ready to bring that amorous congress to session before and after the big games.
Bonus material: Have you ever heard that you weren’t supposed to have sex before a big game because it will have a negative effect on your performance? The night before the big fight, Mick tells Rocky not to have sex because “women weaken legs.” Is that even true?
According to Sciencealert.com, it’s not! “Abstaining from sexual activity before athletic competition is a controversial topic in the world of sport,” says lead researcher Laura Stefani from the University of Florence in Italy. “We show no robust scientific evidence to indicate that sexual activity has a negative effect upon athletic results.”
So, if you happen to have the opportunity before the big game, you are free to do some boot knockin’ should the opportunity present itself. You’re welcome. 🙂