Lausanne, Switzerland- Based on a recently completed scientific assessment of 3rd generation kinesiology tapes increasingly used by elite athletes, as well as the advanced taping techniques developed since their introduction at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering a total ban of the performance enhancing tapes.
"This is an issue that the committee was taking very seriously long before start of the games in Paris and the unfortunate maiming of an American shot putter," IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach explained. "Progress in taping technology over the past 12 years has caught us all a little off guard. None of us want another Wheaties situation on our hands, and we certainly don't want any more Olympians becoming Paralympians because of haphazard taping."
Most fans of the games are familiar with kinesiology tape, particularly after widespread use emerged during the 2012 London Summer Olympics. More primitive versions of kinesiology tape, and the rudimentary applications at the time, primarily served to aid in muscle recovery by improving lymphatic drainage and reducing inflammation. The latest applications actually appear to enhance athletic performance beyond what would have otherwise been humanly possible and is almost certainly what allowed so many unexpected results in Tokyo three years ago, such as Larry Anderson's performance in the tetrahedrathon that smashed the previous world record by 11 quods.
The IOC-funded study found that modern kinesiology taping methods, which work by applying gentle traction to the tissue around muscles along a specific kinetic chain, results in performances far exceeding an individual competitor's innate potential. According to Dirk LaGrange, a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner, so-called "power taping" is clearly dangerous in the wrong hands. "Inexperienced trainers, sometimes even the athletes themselves, are applying tape that is now 180% more elastic with tighter weaving and stronger adhesive capability. Someone was bound to lose an arm."
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