(ETX Daily Up) – Can Technology Help Athletes Win? If the importance of good equipment is no longer to be demonstrated, particularly at the professional level, questions remain with regard to objects with (so-called) developed technology. The latest case? This famous patch worn by tennis player Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.
During his victory against Marton Fucsovics, on May 31, in the second round of Roland Garros, tennis champion Novak Djokovic was seen with a mysterious patch stuck on his chest. During the post-match press conference, after confessing his admiration for the superhero Iron Man during his childhood, the Serb mentioned this famous patch. “My team uses fantastic nanotechnology to help me as best I can. That’s the secret of my career. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be here,” said the player. more so that this object presented as miraculous goes viral. On Twitter, internet users are already dubbing it the “Iron Man patch”. But its real name is Taopatch, presented by its manufacturer, Tao Technologies, as an aid for “to have better coordination, smoother movements and saving valuable resources during their competitions and training”. This patch to wear every day “can also help improve the symmetry of the pelvis and lower limbs, the muscle activation (thanks to the use of a greater number of fibers that make up the muscle), balance (even after 4 hours of activity), concentration and recovery after the race”.
The Placebo Effect
To get it, you would have to spend between 280 euros and 3000 euros. However, this technology would not be miraculous. Some doctors even mention its ineffectiveness. This is the case of Baptiste Meunier, sports doctor and member of the NoFakeMed collective. “This patch is useless. According to the seller, it would send photons into our cells, which would help them communicate better. However, our human cells do not work with photons, because photons are light”, he explains to France News. As for the alleged effects on the player’s performance, the doctor adds: “The placebo effect is very, very powerful. It can improve between 25 and 30% of performance. But this patch does not go beyond the placebo effect. Scientifically, it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense. It’s just superstition…”.
At present, no study or scientific research can attest to the effectiveness of this patch. The Taopatch brand, like many others, is not the first to use sports personalities to sell a product without any real effect to as many people as possible. A danger when you know that part of his fanbase is young.
The case of Power Balance
Novak Djokovic is known to be an athlete adept at alternative methods. He adopted a gluten-free diet in the 2010s (he even wrote a book about it “Winning service, a gluten-free diet for perfect physical and mental fitness”), and a very strict diet, he is antivax. In 2022, he spoke of “magic potion” when asked about a mysterious drink prepared by his staff at the Wimbledon and Paris-Bercy tournaments.
But beyond the Djoko case, other athletes are adopting high-tech objects capable, supposedly, of providing assistance. In the 2000s, several sports stars, such as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo or basketball players Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were seen with a bracelet on their wrist. Called Power Balance, this magnetic object claimed to improve athletic ability and performance. Sold around 40 €, the Power Balance was supposed, thanks to the presence of a hologram, to improve the power, flexibility and balance of those who wear it. Huge promotion was made around the bracelet even beyond the world of sport, with actresses such as Lindsay Lohan who wore it on their wrist. The product had managed to sell millions of copies around the world. But in 2011, the brand falls from a height following the collective complaint of consumers for misleading advertising. The American justice had condemned Power Balance to pay 57 million dollars to compensate the customers duped by the product.