What if Olympic athletes went back to competing naked?

Pictured is Tongan Taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua all oiled up at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.  

While modern shoes and athletic outfits offer some benefits to competitors, the psychological impacts of not wearing clothes might outweigh the physical effects.

Ancient Greek legend has it that in 720 BC, an Olympic athlete named Orsippus of Megara was competing in the 185m run when his loincloth slipped off. Rather than stop to hide his shame, Orsippus sprinted on and won the race. His triumphant example stuck. Nude athletic competition – often emphasized through the liberal anointment of olive oil – became all the rage in Greece, seen as the ultimate tribute to Zeus.

"There was this whole idea of Orsippus being heroic and victorious, and then celebrating that he was naked," says Sarah Bond, an associate professor of history at the University of Iowa. "The Greeks going naked became a way of recognizing their Greekness and civility." More reading here

Pictured are British Divers Tom Daley (left) and Daniel Goodfellow (right) at the Rio Summer Olympics back in 2016.