Swimming is well underway at the Paris Olympics, which is giving sport fans a chance to enjoy the action – and a glimpse of some dark red circles on athletes’ bodies.
The trend is partly due to legendary swimmer Michael Phelps who was seen with the marks in 2016. Since then, Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers has also been seen with the dark red circles on his skin in Tokyo 2020 on his way to winning 100m freestyle silver.
And in Paris 2024, US endurance great Katie Ledecky won bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle while bearing the marks.
On Sunday evening, it was the turn of Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi to win the final of the men's 100m breaststroke while bearing red circular marks on his back.
But despite the apparent success that comes with athletes bearing the marks it is not an illegal or unethical procedure. It is also nothing new but rather an ancient practice that has been going through a revival thanks to the benefits swimmers have reportedly experienced.
This is what it all means.
What are the red marks?
They’re not artfully applied war paint, nor are they the result of a paintball injury – they are the result of a Chinese practice called cupping, which involves placing heated cups on the skin.
How is cupping administered?
The therapy can be performed in different ways but traditionally the practice involves placing a burning cotton bud inside a glass cup.
Once the flame extinguishes, the drop in temperature creates suction which sticks the cups to the patient's skin when they are applied to an area of the body.
The suction, which typically lasts for a few minutes, promotes blood flow by pulling the skin away from the body, leaving large red spots. These marks are likely to last two or three days.
What are the benefits of cupping?
Cupping is thought to draw blood to the affected area, reducing soreness and speeding healing of overworked muscles – hence the popularity with athletes. It’s also thought to keep injury at bay and speed recovery.
US gymnast Alexander Naddour told USA Today that it is "the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy" adding: "It's been better than any money I've spent on anything else."
However, there is limited scientific research to back up the purported benefits of the alternative therapy. The technique, which Michael Phelps has praised over Instagram, has not undergone clinical trials, so there is no real way of establishing if the positive reports about it are due to a placebo effect.
Rachel Vreeman MD, director of research at the Indiana University Center for Global Health and co-author of a series of books on medical myths, told Health.com that we should be sceptical.
She said: "There are no health benefits to cupping documented in the scientific literature.
“The only study I have seen … with any impact related to cupping is one that rigorously examined various therapies for back pain, and suggested that any impact from cupping was likely related to a placebo effect."
Does it hurt?
Although cupping does involve small breaks in the surface of the skin that can be slightly uncomfortable the sensation is very short lived and quite minimal – it often looks worse than it feels.
Does it actually work?
David Colquhoun, professor of pharmacology at University College London, told the Independent that cupping doesn’t give athletes an advantage over their opponents.
He said: "Not at all. If anything they'll have a slight disadvantage because they're wasting time getting cupped."
Basically there is no medical evidence to back up the benefits of cupping. But if it has helped Olympians over the years it can’t do any harm to try before your next swimming session.
