The Olympics in Rio began on 5 August 2016 marred with problems. There have been issues of corruption, political upheavals, Russian doping scandals, the threat of Zika, and most recently the Olympic diving pool turning green.
The events have continued, however, and there have been a number of success stories. The United States are leading with twenty-six medals. Aged only nineteen, Simone Biles won her first Olympic gold medal for the US. Great Britain have won a total of six medals, including one gold. Vietnam won their first ever Olympic gold medal in sixty years of competing, Adam Peaty beat his own world record by finishing the men’s 100m breast stroke in 57.13 seconds, and Yusra Mardini was the first person to represent the Syrian refugee team which consists of ten athletes.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 06: Alexander Naddour of the United States prepares to compete on the pommel horse in the Artistic Gymnastics Men’s Team qualification on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Rio Olympic Arena on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
HAVE YOU NOTICED THE “RED BRUISES” ON ATHLETES?
What has also gained much attention at this year’s Olympics is the large red, bruises on many of the Olympians’ bodies characteristic of the ancient Chinese medicinal therapy known as ‘Cupping’. Athletes such as Alex Naddour, Michael Phelps and Wang Qun, have all been photographed with these marks. Cupping is believed to ease pain and improve circulation. Athletes and celebrities, such as Gwenyth Paltrow, alike have been treated with cupping although there is no scientific evidence to prove that it has any positive effects. The methods used vary but the principle is the same, the idea is to create suction on the patient’s skin with the use of cups heated by fire, or mechanical cupping where the air is sucked out of the top of a cup after being placed on the skin. Professor David Colquhoun, a pharmacologist, writing for the Independent said that Cupping is “a prescientific medical practice that started in a time when there was no understanding of physiology. In this way, it’s much like bloodletting.”
Whether the pursuit of cupping continues or not, the Olympic events will continue until Sunday 21 August 2016.