News On Japan

From cardboard beds to plastic podiums, Tokyo 2020 introduces innovative, sustainable Olympics

Aug 03, 2021 (ARIRANG NEWS) - We're now half way through Tokyo 2020, and the organizers have done what they can to make it green and sustainable.

From beds at the Olympic village to the medals and podiums,... recycling has been the focal point throughout the Games.

Lee Kyung-eun tells us more.

There has been one hotly debated topic surrounding the Olympic village the cardboard beds.

The organizers say,... the frames are made from recyclable cardboard.

And mattresses are made from plastic materials,... that will be re-used.... after the Games.

It's part of Tokyo 2020's theme,... of going "green" and "sustainable".

But the internet was ablaze with rumors,... surrounding the beds.

With some speculating,... that they are designed to prevent intimacy among athletes,... in this time of COVID-19.

And that,... they easily break,... with little pressure,... as these two rowers from New Zealand claimed.

But it turns out,... those rumors are FALSE,... as demonstrated by an Irish gymnast.

The Olympics organizers re-tweeted the video,... saying “Thanks for debunking the myth. The beds are sturdy "

And Airweave the manufacturer of the beds also previously said,... that each one,... can hold around 2-hundred kilograms.

The beds are NOT the only thing,... that’s "green",... at the Olympics.

The medals,... are made from recycled electronic devices,... like cell phones.

Some 80-thousand tons of them,... were collected from across Japan,... to produce 5-thousand medals.

That's why the organizers jokingly told Olympians,... NOT to bite them

And the 3D-printed podiums,... are also made of recycled, donated plastic waste.

Tokyo 2020 is also trying to use,... as much RENEWABLE ENERGY as possible.

All this,... makes the Olympics,... that bit more sustainable,.. and special,... this year.

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