The 2016 Olympics are just five days old, but U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has already turned cupping into the suction heard ’round the world.
Every time Phelps has taken the pool in Rio thus far, people around the world are fascinated by the purple bruises that cover Phelps shoulders and back. This fascination has resulted into a deep delve into the global phenomenon that is cupping.
For those who hadn’t read about the Chinese massage technique, seeing Phelps head out with the purple marks was cause for concern.
But as we soon found out, these cup marks weren’t cause for concern, but rather an attempt to increase blood flow. Phelps, meanwhile, was surprised to see the intrigue into his purple bruises.
“I’ve done this for a while,” he said. “I asked for a little cupping yesterday and [trainer Keenan Robinson] hit me pretty hard with one and it left a couple bruises.”
Phelps’ trainer had a similar reaction.
Robinson, USA Swimming’s director of high performance, was equally entertained Monday, suggesting that all the attention over the $30 cups was missing the bigger picture of all that goes into preparing Phelps and other athletes to compete at their highest levels.
“It’s like asking a chef about his garnish when you’re missing the main meal,” Robinson said. “You’ve got this beautiful steak and vegetable medley — that’s what you’re paying $75 for. Not the garnish. But this recovery modality shows the blemishes when he walks around, so people ask.”
Through research, we have seen that this strategy has been around for more than 2,000 years. While there are some detractors to the strategy, people like Phelps and U.S. swimmer Dana Vollmer are big proponents.
“I know it looks weird but it really helps with blood flow, helps pull swelling out of different areas,” she said. “It works great for a lot of us.”
But though there hasn’t been any reason to believe that cupping is a form of doping, don’t tell that to the Russian state TV.
The country’s state TV introduced its viewers to Phelps’ obsession Monday, and likened the effects of the process to those experienced with meldonium, a banned performance drug that’s been found coursing through the blood of Russian athletes.
“In other words, the net effect from such practices in many ways, is not unlike those of meldonium,” he adds, reminding viewers of the athletes who were disqualified or stripped of their medals after using the drug.
With just about everyone putting their own twist on the cupping phenomenon (including one reporter that wanted to experience cupping for herself), it seems that this therapy technique has become more popular than some of the Olympic events. It is entirely possible, however, that once the Games end, cupping will head back into oblivion – but Phelps’ amazing gameface will life on forever.
[ESPN]