Olympic athletes' cardboard beds slammed by doctors over 'disastrous' impact

Ahead of last week's commencement of the 2024 Olympic Games, a lot of questions were raised regarding the living quarters that the athletes would be residing in.

An image of a standard bedroom supplied by sporting tournament bosses quickly went viral, showing a single bed made from cardboard, donned by some pretty hideous and heavily merchandised bedding.

And whilst some spectators had concerns regarding the logistics of the games' infamously raunchy post-performance antics, some sleep experts have been left concerned about the wellbeing of the athletes.

The beds have been slammed by sleep experts. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Despite the supposed environmental friendliness of the beds, as we say, some sleep experts have slammed organisers for the materials used, insisting they'll inadvertently be harming those sleeping in them.

Speaking to Fox News, US neurologist and sleep adviser Dr. Chris Winter - who is also a sleep consultant for major-league sports teams - slammed the beds.

"I was not part of the French Olympic planning, but given the overall theme of the games as being ‘more responsible, more inclusive and more equal,’ I think the cardboard bed checks those boxes," he initially explained.

The issue Dr Winter raises, however, is that sleep discomfort could prove detrimental for some sporting individuals.

"For an Olympic swimmer, weightlifter or gymnast to awaken with a tweak or catch in their back could be disastrous," he said.

"Lilly King missed a breaststroke medal by 1/100th of a second," Winter noted. "Could a cardboard bed be to blame? Without a doubt."

The cardboard beds could pose a health risk. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

It's not just the issue of health that has had these cardboard beds on everyone's lips as when athletes at the 2020 Tokyo games saw them, many people wrongly assumed that Olympic organisers did so to prevent any sexual activity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials later made it clear, however, that the beds were in place because of their sustainability and sturdiness.

Which is just as well as a former Olympian previously revealed how getting 'down and dirty' is pretty much 'inevitable'.

Spilling the tea, ex-long jumper Susen Tiedtke explained the advice given by coaches surrounding sex - which was, basically, not to get involved before competing.

"When you have sex, the body first has to recharge itself energetically," she previously told press. "After the competition, however, roommates were considerate if you needed the room for yourself."

She noted that 'sex was always an issue in the village', despite there being a sex ban in place in previous years.