This year’s Olympics are now in full swing and it’s all eyes on the athletes.

There are currently a variety of sports taking place in Paris, France, ranging from archery and shooting to athletics and gymnastics.

Swimming is a fan favorite sport to watch, and this year’s competition features 854 individuals from 187 countries.

However, you may have noticed a common motif among several of the swimmers: the strange dark red rings on their backs.

While the tattoos appear to be the result of a fight with an octopus, there is a quite different explanation for them.

The huge blotches are the result of cupping therapy, an ancient medicinal procedure in which cups are placed on the skin to create suction and stimulate blood flow to the affected area.

The unorthodox technique is intended to aid in muscle rehabilitation and is utilized as a sort of deep tissue massage.

Some athletes were photographed with bruises from cupping therapy at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and it appears to be prevalent now.

Gymnast Alexander Naddour told USA Today in 2016 that cupping was the’secret’ to his health.

He said further: “It’s been better than any money I’ve spent on anything else.”

Away from the Games, basketball player Kyle Singler has hailed cupping therapy.

“The bruises do look more intense than what they actually feel like, but the benefit from it is really great,” he’s previously said.

Singler went on to tell Sports Illustrated, “You may not get the immediate response that you want, but over time it does help with recovery and loosening tissue and stuff like that.”

However, experts question whether cupping therapy is effective. It appears that the jury is still out.

According to Harvard Health, recent research suggests that cupping may provide some alleviation for a variety of musculoskeletal and sports-related problems. However, the quality of the evidence was ‘minimal’.

A 2022 evaluation discovered that moist (rather than dry) cupping was useful for lower back discomfort.

While the bruises from cupping are quite severe, the technique is usually regarded as safe to use, even if people are divided on how effective it is.

“The majority of professionals think that cupping is safe. As long as those treated don’t mind the circular discolorations (which dissipate within a few days or weeks), negative effects are often limited to the pinch felt during skin suction,” Harvard Health says.

“It’s quite unusual that cupping causes any serious problems (though, rarely, skin infections have been reported).”

There you have it, everyone.