Beijing offers hi-tech power naps to journalists at the Games

Journalists reporting on the Winter Olympics are being offered the chance to sleep on the job thanks to hi-tech cabins at the Beijing media centre.

The 20 sleep rest cabins, developed by China's Keeson Technology Corp, allow reporters to pop in for a power nap of up to an hour with a simple scan of their mobile phone. The spacious cabins contain the same bed Olympians are sleeping on in the Athletes' Village with the user able to adjust their position and with a remote control or mobile phone.

“These sleep cabins are especially designed for the Beijing Winter Games,” company representative Zhao Yufeng told Reuters at the Beijing main media centre on Sunday. The beds, which also have a massage setting, are already attracting attention further afield. American luger Summer Britcher this week took to social media to show off her bed, comparing it favourably with the cardboard beds used at last year's Tokyo Summer Games.

“It's as if the Beijing organising committee said, 'how can we just absolutely just one up on Tokyo?'" Britcher said in a TikTok video, describing the bed's 'zero gravity' mode, which simulates the feeling of being in outer space, as “phenomenal”.

“Raising the head 15 degrees and legs by 35 degrees is beneficial for blood circulation and able to help the athletes to relieve stress and get a good night sleep”, she added. The cabins are available in the media centre which is located within the “closed loop” bubble that separates Olympic Games participants from the public, in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The Games open on Friday.

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