- Olympians are using KT Tape to protect their faces from the brutal cold and wind in Beijing.
- The sports tape is ordinarily used to help support and facilitate healing in muscles and joints.
- KT Tape's CEO warned that it could get stuck to the face but expressed support for "the ingenuity."
Bitter cold and brutal winds are forcing the world's top athletes to get creative at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
With temperatures consistently teetering around zero degrees Fahrenheit and strong winds already forcing the postponement of several events at the games, some Olympians have struggled to compete at their best in the biggest moments of their athletic careers.
Contenders are doing all they can to mitigate the impact of the inclement weather in Beijing — including covering their faces with KT Tape.
Typically, KT Tape — an elastic adhesive — is used to help facilitate healing and offer support for muscles and joints. And even though there's no official precedent for use on the face — or proof that it's an effective protector from the cold — skiers in China took it upon themselves to slap it on their exposed skin to avoid frostbite and windburn.
KT Tape CEO and President Greg Venner isn't sure that's the best idea, but he and his colleagues at the company "appreciate the ingenuity."
"KT Tape doesn't endorse the use of kinesiology tape on the face as it isn't clinically tested," Venner told TODAY. "And the adhesive that works so well to keep tape in place to provide long-lasting muscle and joint support can be a bit more difficult to remove from the delicate skin on the face."
"However, we certainly applaud the creativity," he added. "We are proud to support Team USA!"