I think that all of us have our own, personal favorite Olympic event. In some cases, it may be something involving the snow, and skiing is undoubtedly going to come to mind.
For those who watch Olympic skiing regularly or even those who are curious enough to watch it occasionally, you may notice that the athletes have tape on their faces. Those tape patches may look unusual, but they are there for a reason.
As it turns out, this isn’t only something that is used by Olympic skiers, many athletes use a similar type of tape. It is known as kinesiology tape, and in the case of skiers, it may help to keep their skin warm.
Kinesiology tape is used by athletes because it sticks to the skin and gently pulls at it, perhaps enough to pull the skin from the muscle. It is well known for helping with soreness and pain, so much so that the Olympic and Paralympic Committee officially licensed KT Tape and have done so since 2016, according to the Sports Business Journal.
It seems as if this may be especially important for skiers in Beijing. The Los Angeles Times reported on a US skier, Aaron Blunck, who described Beijing as being one of the coldest places he’s ever been on earth.
Interestingly, the Olympic skiers are using KT Tape, although it isn’t officially endorsed by the Olympic Committee for use on faces. Even the company says that they don’t endorse it for that usage.
That being said, even a thin layer of tape may be able to help keep the frigid air on the outside and the heat of the skin on the inside. At the very least, we can agree with a Team USA Spokesperson, who told Bustle that the tape does create a bit of a shield.
Perhaps, in the end, it is best summed up by the CEO and president of KT Tape, Greg Venner, who said: “We’ve seen KT Tape used as protection against the wind in winter sports over the years, so although it isn’t a clinically approved usage, we appreciate the ingenuity.”