Israeli baseball team sparks outrage for posting TikTok video jumping on 'anti-sex beds' in Tokyo

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The Israeli baseball team has apologized after receiving backlash for filming themselves jumping on cardboard boxes at the Tokyo Games.

The controversy: Ben Wanger uploaded the now-deleted TikTok video on Monday, where players can be seen trying out the structural rigidity of the cardboard beds in the athlete’s village, according to Kyodo News.



  • The video starts with one player jumping on the bed with more and more players joining to see if the rumors about the “anti-sex beds” were true.

  • Eventually, nine players managed to get on, and the bed collapsed slightly by the end of the recording.

  • The bed’s manufacturer Airweave said the bed can support weights of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

  • The baseball team’s act sparked outrage among Japanese social media users, with one person saying, “I don't understand why anyone would destroy something belonging to someone else.


The aftermath: Wanger issued an apology on Thursday through a video sent to the Japanese media by the Israeli Olympic Committee.

  • “We meant no disrespect and just wanted to show off how effective and sturdy the beds are in the Olympic village,” Wanger said. “We actually enjoy sleeping on these beds and think they are a great and sustainable option for future Olympics.”

  • The athlete also explained the committee would recycle all the beds after the Games, The Times of Israel reported. He said the bed in the video "has since been recycled."

  • The Israeli Olympic Committee called on Peter Kurz after seeing the video. The committee also condemned the behavior, adding that a “clear message was conveyed to the players.”


Other Olympic athletes: Olympic athletes, like Ilona Maher from the USA rugby team and Rhys McClenaghan from Ireland's gymnastics team, have made videos similar to Wanger's where they "tested" out the cardboard beds to see if they would break. However, these videos did not receive backlash.






Featured Image via @kann_news

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