Tony Smith, the Canadian gymnastics team coach tried acupuncture for the first time and was amazed by the results. After just one session at the Olympic Village clinic, his back pain vanished. “It really does work,” he said. “I will definitely recommend it to my athletes,” reported the China Daily, the largest online English speaking paper in China.

Smith, who has long suffered from lower back pain, had just about given up hope after none of the various treatments he tried made any difference.

“I thought I should give Chinese acupuncture a try, and found it really relieves the pain,” he said. “I’ll try it again this week. If it still works, I’ll carry on with the treatment when I get back to Canada.”

“This is the first time an Olympic Village has offered acupuncture,” said Wang Weidong, director of the clinic’s department of Chinese traditional medicine. “I hope the service we provide here relieves athletes’ aches and pains, and also expands the influence of traditional Chinese medicine.

“Acupuncture relieves pain and is a therapeutic treatment of chronic injuries. It is also an effective remedy for headaches and insomnia,” he said.

Xu Hairong, the acupuncturist who treated Smith said, “At first only a few officials and coaches came in, but even the athletes want to give it a try now.” She treated an official’s wife for an arthritic shoulder and, “She is so pleased with the results, she has recommended it to others. A swimmer from her country came in just yesterday.”

“People are telling us that the one bed in the acupuncture room won’t be enough,” added Yu Jinna, her colleague.