Viral TikTok Exposes Olympian Beds and Sparks Debate

July 21, 2021

Lewis Clareburt, who is a New Zealand Olympic swimmer recently went viral and sparked debate after posting a video of him and Ali Galyer, a fellow swimmer, deconstructing their mattress given to them in the Olympic village room.

The video shows them taking their beds apart and revealing that they were made from three separate plastic panels, resembling styrofoam. The Olympians stated that each part had different levels of softness. Another video from Clareburt shows that when he falls straight on the bed, it seems to knock the wind out of him because the material is so tough. One person notes that when he did it, it sounded like he fell straight on the ground.

One person explained that they are made so they can be recycled into new things after the Olympics. Many praised Japan, saying how cool of an idea it is to do this in order to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Though the idea of trying to recycle the beds into something after the Olympics are over is an innovative idea, many were concerned about the athlete’s health and how the beds might affect the athletes when they are going to compete. Many agree that though the idea is interesting, in reality, if the Olympians cannot sleep properly then it may defeat the purpose altogether. Another Olympian, Tilly Kearns, who is an Australian water polo player, posted a video of her bed as well.

She explains that the beds are indeed from cardboard, but she knocks on it to display the hollow sound it makes, revealing how hard it is. She also explains that you can make the bed as soft and hard as you would like it. She also notes they were given mattress toppers and that tall athletes have the option for a bed extender. People were still quick to complain on this post as well, claiming that the Olympics are not environmentally friendly because they build stadiums instead of using an existing one. Many had their own ideas as to what would make the Olympics the most environmentally friendly, like using already existing beds. Others claimed that wood might be more environmentally friendly as well. Kearns explains that she loves them, though people continued to bash under her comments.