Many people are questioning whether the apparently weak cardboard frames of the beds in the Tokyo Olympic athletes’ village are intended to prevent romantic behavior among some of the world’s fittest human beings.

The story gathered momentum when Olympic runner Paul Chelimo claimed on Twitter that the mattresses, constructed of “high resistance lightweight cardboard,” were designed to keep athletes from getting intimate.

“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,” he tweeted. “I see no problem for distance runners, even 4 of us can do …”

Rhys McClenaghan, an Irish gymnast, videotaped himself bouncing on his cardboard bed to dispel rumors that they would collapse under stress.

“The beds are meant to be anti-sex. They’re made out of cardboard, yes, but apparently they’re meant to break with sudden movements. It’s fake — fake news!” McClenaghan said in the video posted on Twitter.

Fears of the virus spreading during the Games have grown in recent days, with three athletes testing positive for the illness and six competitors and two staffers from Great Britain’s squad self-isolating after being identified as close contacts with a case.

“Getting a lot of questions right now to @iocmedia about the sustainable cardboard beds of the Olympic Village,” IOC communications director Christian Claue tweeted.

According to a news statement from the Olympics, the mattresses in issue can hold up to 441 pounds. That’s more than double the average male weight in the United States.

The official Olympics Twitter account thanked McClenaghan for “debunking the myth,” adding “the sustainable beds are sturdy!”

Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Olympic athletes have been handed condoms as a way to raise awareness about AIDS while also promoting safer sex.

Despite repeated warnings from the Tokyo Games organizers to “avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact,” more than 150,000 condoms are scheduled to be distributed.

According to organizers, “The distribution of condoms is not for use at the athlete’s village, but to have athletes take them back to their home countries to raise awareness

According to Takashi Kitajima, a Tokyo 2020 organizer in charge of the Athletes’ Village, the cardboard beds were designed to be both environmentally friendly and comfy.

The bed frames were constructed of recyclable cardboard, and the mattresses were made of polyethylene materials that would be utilized to manufacture plastic goods after the Tokyo Olympics, according to organizers.

Airweave, the bed’s manufacturer, believes the 2.1-metre long bed can support a weight of approximately 200 kilos, which is greater than any of the athletes that competed in Rio.

“We’ve conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds,” an Airweave spokesman told the AFP news agency. “As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load.”

On social media, several people responded to the cardboard bed hoax by asking, “Who needs a bed anyway?”

“Just flip the wardrobe horizontally and put the mattress on top. The wardrobe looks like it’s made of wood,” a netizen replied to Chelimo on Twitter.

Twitter account @godcomplegz said,” they’re acting like the floor doesn’t exist.”