The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are right around the corner, with athletes arriving in Italy ahead of the opening ceremony, which will take place this Friday (February 6).
People have long been intrigued about what happens at the Olympic village , a residential complex where competitors from across the world sleep, eat, train, and interact with fellow athletes.
- Team GB ice dancer Phebe Bekker shared a review of her bed at the Milan Olympic Village ahead of the Winter Games.
- At the 2024 Paris Olympics, many athletes complained that the cardboard eco-friendly beds were very uncomfortable.
- Skeptics believe the hard mattresses were designed to discourage athletes from hooking up in the village.
Female athlete in a purple costume posing confidently in a hallway, related to Winter Olympics Milan rooms and athlete reveal.
An athlete revealed what the sleeping arrangements at the Milan Olympic village are like, following the scandal over Paris’ cardboard beds
At the Paris Olympics, there was one aspect of the village that attracted particular attention: the cardboard beds.
While the use of recycled material for the mattresses was announced as an effort to make the Olympics more environmentally friendly, many people suspected that organizers also wanted to make them less comfortable to discourage athletes from being intimate with each other.
The beds led to complaints from athletes themselves about how uncomfortable they were, with Australian water polo player Matilda Kearns saying she had a massage to “undo the damage” from the “rock-solid” mattress.
Two athletes sitting in a Winter Olympics Milan room, showing the compact space and simple bathroom setup.
Now, British ice dancer Phebe Bekker has shared what the beds look like for those competing at the upcoming Winter Games.
In her TikTok page, she posted a video of her room in Milan, confirming that the beds are made of sturdier material.
“Heard it here first: there are no cardboard beds. Well, as far as I know,” the Surrey athlete said after knocking on the bed frame.
“That is a mattress!” she added after using her hand to test how comfortable it was.
Female athlete wearing red hoodie and Winter Olympics Milan accreditation card, revealing athlete rooms after Paris beds went viral.
Phebe Bekker will compete in ice dancing at the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
“They look niiiiice,” shared someone else.
“You’re here reporting what we all need to know,” joked another.
“Nothing has been made to be temporary. Your beds, your rooms will be the new dormitory for Milan’s university students,” added a fourth.
“Here you are in Italy, not in France, with cardboard beds😂😂🤷🏽♂️” wrote an Italian viewer.
Comment by FS.SkatingStan praising investigative journalism, posted with 571 likes on social media.
Screenshot of a social media comment reacting to Winter Olympics Milan rooms, referencing cardboard beds from Paris.
Single bed in a Winter Olympics Milan athlete room, featuring a poster and teddy bears on crisp white linens.
In a separate video, the ice dancer recorded the “free, unlimited” vending machines at the Olympic village.
She and her Team GB partner used only the credential dangling from his neck, which the machine scanned before dispensing their drink.
Additionally, Bekker shared that there is a sound bath class, a meditation practice that uses gongs, held every day at 10 a.m to help athletes relax.
Athlete relaxing on couch in Winter Olympics Milan rooms with Team GB banner in background and holding a snack cup
The athletes’ eco-friendly sleeping arrangements were a major topic of conversation at the 2024 Paris Olympics
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, athletes slept on beds made of cardboard, reportedly to discourage intimacy at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the Winter Olympics in Beijing, organizers returned to regular bed frames, but cardboard beds made a comeback in 2024 at the Paris Olympics for sustainability reasons.
That year, Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon was spotted taking a nap in a park under a tree during the Paris Games.
Asked about his viral photo, the gold medalist told Eurosport that the grass was “less uncomfortable” than his Olympic village bed.
@phebebekker Cardboard beds in the Olympic village?! The question everyone wants to know🤣 #olympics #milanocortina2026 ♬ original sound – Phebe Bekker|Figure Skater🇬🇧
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