Share and Follow
The Olympic Village in Milano Cortina has undergone significant enhancements in anticipation of the upcoming games.
As athletes touched down in Italy this week for the 2026 Winter Olympics, British ice dancer Phebe Bekker was quick to dispel any lingering rumors about the notorious cardboard beds. She took to social media to share, “Heard it here first — there are no cardboard beds, at least from what I’ve seen.”
Previously, during the preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, athletes were greeted with unconventional cardboard bed frames, a surprising choice for a city renowned for its opulence.
This eco-friendly furniture was first introduced at the Tokyo 2020 Games, aimed at promoting sustainability during the Olympics.
The furniture choice was initially introduced during the 2020 Games in Tokyo, said to help make the event more environmentally friendly.
However, there were critics of the recyclable, twin-sized statement pieces, dubbed by some as “Anti-Sex” beds. The 2020 Games notably had an “intimacy ban” put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban was lifted for 2024.
Making her Olympic debut in Milano Cortina alongside partner James Hernandez, the 20-year-old Bekker quickly put on her detective hat to “answer the question everybody’s asking.”
The British competitor filmed herself knocking on the sturdy frame before declaring, “We’re looking good.”
Bekker is a British Figure Skating Championships silver medalist who previously won gold multiple times in the event’s junior category.
She has made two World Championship appearances.
In 2022, she and Hernandez became the first British ice dancers to win a medal at the junior Grand Prix.