A 21-year-old Irish Olympic gymnast has dispelled a rumor that athletes’ beds at the Tokyo Olympics were designed to prevent them from getting too frisky with one another.
Thank you, Rhys McClenaghan, for going the extra mile.
The beds in athletes’ rooms are made out of cardboard–100% recyclable material– and are meant to just be temporary. Images of the odd-looking beds started to circulate on social media, leading Olympic athlete Paul Chelimo to joke, “Beds to be installed in Tokyo Olympic Village will be made of cardboard. This is aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes.”
“Beds will be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports. I see no problem for distance runners, even 4 of us can do,” he added, capping the tweet off with a laughing-crying emoji.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Beds to be installed in Tokyo Olympic Village will be made of cardboard, this is aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes
Beds will be able to withstand the weight of a single person to avoid situations beyond sports.
I see no problem for distance runners,even 4 of us can do? pic.twitter.com/J45wlxgtSo
— Paul Chelimo???? (@Paulchelimo) July 17, 2021
But because this is the internet, plenty of people thought Chelimo was being serious and soon folks were posting indignant messages about how wrong it was for the Olympic Committee to go this route.
That’s when Rhys McClenaghan, the young gymnast from Ireland, stepped in to set the record straight.
“‘Anti-sex’ beds at the Olympics,” he wrote, sharing a shirtless video of himself testing just how much weight the cardboard sleepers can withstand.
“Anti-sex” beds at the Olympics pic.twitter.com/2jnFm6mKcB
— Rhys Mcclenaghan (@McClenaghanRhys) July 18, 2021
We wouldn’t mind an entire social media account of McClenaghan testing whether various surfaces are sex-friendly. Just an idea.
Here’s a quick dive into his Instagram account, sine we’re already here:
snuggles65
Why is this a story here??? If this guy was some 300 pound wrestler dude with a beard like Grizzly Adams, would you have really printed this story ??
CatholicXXX
Or you could have sex on the floor on top of some sheets. or is the floor made out of cardboard too?
Kangol2
This reminds me, is Queerty going to write an article about this year’s record number of out LGBTQ Olympians, from all over the world?
That should definitely rate an article or two, no? Given the rising spread of Covid-19 in and around the Olympic facilities, the low rate of vaccination in Japan, and potential cancelation of the games, that might one of the few bits of good news to come out of these games, though I hope they can pull things off with as few problems as possible.
Also, the beds seem sturdy but given how Covid-19 is spreading, maybe the focus should be on masks, face shields, and one dose of any reputable vaccine as soon as humanly possible!
spiralx
Well, he made me laugh. I enjoyed his dry sense of humour (oh OK, sarcasm, then) – right up my street.
Hope he enjoys (and makes the most of) his time in Tokyo. Whether or not these Olympics happen, it’s all good experience for 2026, and after.
Fahd
There are so many different angles on the Olympic Games this year. I guess that’s what makes Japan special. Great profile – I always watched men’s gymnastics growing up, but haven’t lately. This article has inspired me to take an interest in the sport again in this year’s games.
Henreid
Rhys McClenaghan is a charming young man, and since he is an agile gymnast he may have enjoyed sex that involves vertically jumping up and down on a bed, but I’m willing to bet that these cardboard bed frames are designed to self-destruct when horizontal thrusting motion occurs. But even if that does happen, I seriously doubt that it would be a deterrent to any healthy young athletes who are interested in getting randy together. Actually, though, the obvious workaround to avoid this problem from the start would just be to move the mattress off the bed frame and onto the floor before going at it hot and heavy, and I’m pretty sure that any enterprising Olympic athletes would be smart enough to figure this out.
Mike Hunt
His Twitter thread quickly became a thirst trap.
OK … I admit it, I’d do him.
Chrisk
I’m be afraid he’d break my dick off with that tight little body of his.
Jack
As the old saying goes “I wouldn’t kick him out of bed unless he wanted to do it on the floor……or the cardboard bed breaks”. Personally, with the COVID situation, I’d keep my pecker in my pants in Tokyo.
Gay Thomas
Not gonna lie–HOT AF. I’d do him with a world-wide Olympic audience watching.
Man About Town
The first words of this piece should be changed from “21-year-old” to “22-year-old” because… today is his birthday!!
Terrycloth
Love his accent ..it Fiyke neuues
scotty
yes, let’s.