HILARIOUS! Tokyo Olympics 2020 Urges Athletes to Stop Biting Medals

Published 07/27/2021, 9:01 AM EDT

We have all seen pictures of our favorite athletes chomping down on their Olympic medals. These pictures of Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps are some of the most iconic Olympics photos.

Olympians biting on their medals and posing has become a part of the Olympic tradition. The International Olympic Committee has tried and failed several times to make the athletes stop biting their medals; but this Olympic tradition, funnily enough, is here to stay.

Why do athletes bite their medals?

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No one knows how or when this tradition of the athletes biting their medals and posing for the cameras started; all we know is that it’s here to stay.

An explanation for the practice could be to check the authenticity of the gold, if we lived in the 1900s. Biting gold is a way to check the authenticity of the metal as it is easily malleable. During the early 1900s before the World War, they gave athletes pure gold medals. They put this practice to a stop as soon as the war hit, and these resources became scarce.

In the modern Olympic setting, they probably do this to create that iconic photo. We are so accustomed to seeing the greatest Olympians strike that pose. So all the athletes who win a medal try to recreate their own Usain Bolt, or Michael Phelps moment.

Even if the athletes don’t plan to do it, the photographers ask them to do it. “It’s become an obsession with the photographers,” David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, told CNN.

Sometimes, though, this biting leads to things other than an iconic photo. German Luger David Möller struck the pose and later realized that he slightly chipped his tooth!

We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible!
Our 🥇🥈🥉 medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public.
So, you don't have to bite them… but we know you still will 😛 #UnitedByEmotion
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 25, 2021

Are the Olympics medals made real gold and silver?

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For the Tokyo Olympics 2020, they have created the medals from recycled mobile phones and devices donated by the Japanese public. We know it as the Tokyo 2020 medal Project; it is an initiative to make the Olympics more sustainable.

You got to take the wrapper off first to get to the chocolate on the inside! 🍫😆
A huge congratulations to every medallist, athlete, official, volunteer, and the fans who made today special.
We can't wait to do it all over again on Day 4⃣ of #Tokyo2020 #UnitedByEmotion pic.twitter.com/MI40LOS12P
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 26, 2021

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“We hope that our project of recycling small consumer electronics and our efforts to contribute to an environmentally friendly and sustainable society will form part of the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games,” the organizing committee said.

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Allan Binoy is a Combat Sports Author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in English Literature. Allan is a semi-professional football player for Diego Juniors FC.

HILARIOUS! Tokyo Olympics 2020 Urges Athletes to Stop Biting Medals

Why do athletes bite their medals?

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Are the Olympics medals made real gold and silver?