Gizmodo: olympic games

Tattoo? Symbiote? What the Hell is That Thing On Olympian Kerri Walsh's Shoulder?

Jack Loftus — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

For the longest time I thought the black sinewy thing on Olympic beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh's shoulder was either a confused Alien face sucker, a horny spider, a bad tattoo decision (a la Mike Tyson), or all of the above. Turns out I was way off, and it's actually Kinesio athletic tape from a company in Albuquerque. And upon further inspection, the hype surrounding the $15 tape appears justified, and goes way beyond helping athletes.

In addition to gracing the shoulder of one of America's finest looking athletes, the Kinesio tape also boasts magical properties, like the ability to assist and support muscles without inhibiting a joint's range of motion. Kinesio tape has actually been around for a while, and is available for a range of uses, but it took the modern-day Olympic games (and the right "spokeswoman") to see orders shoot up from 250 a month to 1,600 in a weekend.

John Jarvis, director of Kinesio USA, says the tape has graced the bodies of Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, countless baseball and football players, and cycling superman Lance Armstrong.

Surprisingly, Forbes notes that athletes comprise only 10% of Kenesio USA's customers. The largest market is pediatrics, where doctors have been helping children deal with neurological disorders for the past 25 years. With disorders like cerebral palsy, for example, the tape is used to help strengthen weak muscles. Kerri Walsh is great and all, but that's the real reason I can get behind this product. [Forbes]

10 Unique Olympic Flame Cauldron Designs

Sean Fallon — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Earlier this week, the NYT put together a timeline of the evolution of Olympic torches throughout the years. The guys at OObject have followed that list up with 10 of the most notable cauldron designs, and they make a good point while they are at it. While the cauldron was a part of the festivities since the original Athenian games, many people forget that the torch relay was conceived as Nazi propaganda. Kind of puts the whole Beijing relay protest situation into perspective. Like it or not, politics and the games go hand in hand. At any rate, it is interesting to see some of these cauldron designs compared side by side. [OObject]

Streamlined Speedo Swim Suit Is Too Slippery When Wet

Jack Loftus — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Officials from the International Swimming Federation (aka FINA) want to speak with Speedo next week about their high-tech swimsuit. Seems the athletes who use the swimsuit are breaking all sorts of records and, with the Olympics coming up, FINA doesn't want anyone getting an unfair advantage. Unfortunately for FINA, the only real resolutions appear to be a general ban, which Speedo would protest, or to allow every country to wear it in violation of their existing equipment contracts. The last option is probably the most appealing: FINA brings back the old suits and those swim team shaving parties of yesteryear. [MSNBC]