Winter Olympics: Hong Kong’s Sidney Chu leads cupping charge as athletes embrace traditional alternative therapy
- Speed skating star Chu says the application of suction cups on the skin helps in recovery from strenuous workouts
- American snowboarder Shaun White, and former Olympic downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, have previously posted photos of themselves getting the therapy on Instagram
“I mostly use cupping in my back every once in a while to promote my overall wellness,” said Chu, who is 22 years old and will compete in the 500m short track event with 31 other skaters.
“I usually live and train in cold places where indoor heat is always on, so it’s easy for my body to accumulate a bit of inner heat. I have also used cupping on my quad and glute muscles too to get rid of muscle tension after a long day of training.”
The traditional practice of cupping, which dates back thousands of years, is a well-known form of therapy for a variety of ailments in China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East and is now being embraced by athletes, a number of whom will compete at Beijing 2022.
Master Ruth Lee, who performs Chu’s cupping treatments in Hong Kong, runs a traditional Chinese medical clinic and said the benefit lies in the healing properties of the practice.
