Millions of people have tuned in to watch the Olympics. We have seen some of the greatest athletes of all time performing in ways that we never even thought possible. Many have also seen something that they were not expecting.

One of the top events in Olympics is swimming. There are 854 different athletes competing in swimming this year from 187 different countries. That’s an incredible number of athletes.

When you look at the swimmer’s body, however, you may notice something that seems to be on almost everyone. On many of the swimmers, you will see unusual dark red circles on their backs.

This might look strange to many people who have never had a particular type of therapy before, but it is actually to their benefit. The dark red circles are from cupping therapy, a type of ancient healing technique that involves putting cups on the skin, creating suction, and improving blood flow.

Although it is still considered unconventional by many, it is said to help with muscle recovery and can be a form of deep tissue massage. Cupping has become very popular, especially among swimming athletes.

According to gymnast Alexander Naddour, cupping is the secret to his health. He said: “It’s been better than any money I’ve spent on anything else.”

Many athletes away from the games also are very happy about cupping therapy. This includes a basketball player, Kyle Singler. He said: “The bruises do look more intense than what they actually feel like, but the benefit from it is really great.”

He then continued: “You’re not necessarily getting the immediate response that you might want but over time it does help with recovery and loosening tissue and stuff like that.”

Although there is still some question as to whether this type of therapy actually works or not, there have been studies that show that it could provide relief to some sports-related conditions. Regardless, it seems very popular and it certainly does cause some marks that are starting conversations.