Watch: The Reason Behind Rio Athletes Having ‘Pepperoni’ Marks

‘Cupping’ marks can be seen on the shoulders of Michael Phelps as he celebrates winning the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter butterfly. (Photo: AP)

Have you noticed the pepperoni like scars on some of the athletes? There’s a lot of mystery around those reddish, purplish scars. And you weren’t alone in letting your imagination run wild.

Those scars are the result of an alternative medicine therapy known as ‘Cupping’.

Cupping involves heating small plastic or glass cups to create a vacuum and pulling them from the body to relax the sore muscles. The spotting takes about a week or two to disappear.

Read more here.

Video editor: Mohd Irshad Alam