The Olympic Village has always been about more than medals and podium selfies. Sure, the world’s best athletes gather to compete — but once the cameras shut off and the events wrap for the day, let’s just say… the energy doesn’t exactly disappear.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina officially underway, competitors are settling into their temporary home — and one particular upgrade has people talking.
Goodbye, “anti-sex” beds
For many athletes, the Olympics aren’t just about medals — they’re about making memories, on and off the field.
If you remember the Tokyo Games, you maybe remember the beds. The now-infamous cardboard frames were widely dubbed “anti-sex beds,” sparking endless jokes online. Organizers insisted the design was simply eco-friendly, not romance-proof, but that didn’t stop the internet from having a field day.
Fast-forward to 2026, and athletes can rest easy — literally. The beds in Milan and Cortina are sturdier and far more traditional, which should make recovering from downhill runs and triple axels a little more comfortable.
British ice dancer Phebe Bekker even gave fans a sneak peek on TikTok after arriving at the Village.
“I just arrived at the Olympic Village, and I think it’s time to answer a question everyone’s been asking: ‘Are the beds cardboard?’” she said with a smile, before confirming, “There are no cardboard beds. Well, as far as I know.”
Mystery solved.
The village has a reputation
The Olympic Village has long had a playful reputation. Put thousands of incredibly fit, competitive twenty- and thirty-somethings in one place, adrenaline pumping, national pride on the line… and sparks are bound to fly.
The stories aren’t exactly new. Back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, organizers reportedly ordered 70,000 condoms for the Village, and still ran out. Since then, planning has adjusted accordingly, with around 100,000 condoms now typically distributed at each Games.
Alpine skier Laurenne Ross once admitted in a 2018 interview that she had “hooked up with everyone” at the Games. Skeleton racer John Daly has joked about the appeal, pointing out the obvious: “Incredibly good-looking [athletes], perfect bodies… of course there’s gonna be some hooking up!”
And yes, the tradition of distributing free condoms remains very much alive. Paralympic skier Andrew Kurka once described them as “Olympic strong,” while sled hockey player Rico Roman summed it up perfectly: “What happens in the Olympic Village, stays in the Olympic Village.”
Subtle? Not exactly. Honest? Absolutely.
It’s not all flirting and fun
Behind the playful headlines, though, there’s a serious long-term plan in place.
The Milano Olympic and Paralympic Village is built on a former railway site and will eventually be converted into student housing after the Games — a major urban renewal project designed to benefit the community long after the closing ceremony.
And while athletes may enjoy perks like unlimited vending machines and top-tier facilities, most are there for one thing: chasing Olympic glory.
Still… after a day of racing down mountains at 70 mph or landing gravity-defying tricks, nobody can blame them for enjoying a little downtime.
Medals by day. Memories by night. That’s the Olympic Village way.
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