Are cardboard beds still a thing for Olympic athletes at Milano Cortina 2026?
Have the infamous cardboard beds followed Olympic athletes to Italy?
Athletes have begun arriving for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and they aren’t being shy about documenting their experience. One of the biggest things on everyone’s mind, when it came to athlete accommodations, was whether or not the infamous cardboard beds would make a return.
The so-called anti-sex beds first made their appearance during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and then reappeared at Paris 2024. Initially, many assumed these beds were used to deter athletes from having sex, considering the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force in Tokyo, but that was later debunked.
Instead, they were heralded as being “sturdier than wood” and an “eco-friendly” measure. That did not stop athletes from criticizing them for being uncomfortable.
It appears that the controversial bunks will stay away from the Winter Olympics this year, as Great Britain figure skater Phebe Bekker revealed what athletes will be sleeping on in a TikTok video over the weekend.
“I just arrived in the Olympic village, and I think it’s time to answer a question that everyone’s asking: are the beds cardboard?” Bekker started in the video.
“We’re looking good,” she added, while knocking on the bed frame and testing the mattress. “Heard it here first, there are no cardboard beds, as far as I know.”
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It appears the beds will consist of a wooden frame and mattress, forgoing the cardboard this time around. They do, however, look to be on the smaller side of things.
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There will be approximately 5,350 beds spread across six separate Olympic villages, with Bekker based in Milan. Other athlete videos appear to show similar beds from other villages in mountain clusters.
The breakdown of approximate beds per village is as follows:
- Milan: 1,700
- Cortina d.Ampezzo:Â 1,400
- Livigno:Â 800
- Predazzo:Â 750
- Bormio:Â 400
- Anterselva:Â 300
Outside of the material of the beds, each room appears to contain two beds, meaning that athletes will bunk together throughout the Olympics. Here is a look at a room in the Predazzo Olympic Village from South African cross-country skier Matt Smith.
@thesnowbok Olympic Village room tour. I’m staying in the Predazzo village and there are 6 villages in total. #crosscountryskiing #xcskiing #athlete #milanocortina2026 #nordicskiing @Milano Cortina 2026 ♬ Groovy Bar Shakes (Rock Blues) – Ausku Studio
For some reason, the cardboard beds seem to only be used during the Summer Olympics. They have been used twice in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, but managed to skip out on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
In fact, the Beijing Games made headlines for their high-tech beds, being much bigger than their cardboard counterparts, and even having remote controls. It doesn’t appear that the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics will be quite on par with that, but these will be a welcome sight for athletes worried about sleeping on cardboard.