Tokyo 2020 – a pivotal moment for CBD in sport?

Despite a host country in an official state of emergency, the Olympics will reportedly go ahead this summer.

This is against the wishes of 80 per cent of the Japanese population, according to one study, as well as the head of the Japan Doctors Union and members of the Tokyo Medical Practitioner’s Society.

If the Games do indeed play out, however, they carry an interesting subtext for the cannabis wellbeing community.

For this is the first time that CBD has been accepted as a legal substance for Olympians.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which aims to eradicate the use of drugs in the Olympics, removed CBD from its list of banned substances in 2018.

And many athletes have duly embraced this new freedom, in search of major and marginal gains.

Their anecdotal citations include quicker injury recovery, better sleep, pain relief and reduced performance anxiety.

But when the medals have been fought over and handed out – and the flame passed onto another city – will CBD have made a lasting mark at the Games? Will it have played a tangible part in the inevitable breaking of records? Might this prove a landmark chapter in the evolution of CBD in sport?

Certainly there are enough vocal champions of CBD representing their countries from July 23rd.

The US women’s football team is particularly well stocked with cannabis product advocates.

Alex Morgan, a forward in the US Olympic team, for example, discovered CBD when she sprained her shoulder. With an important game three days later, she applied a CBD roll-on as what she calls “a Hail Mary” to dull the pain.

But Alex, who won a gold medal at London 2012 prior to trying CBD, awoke on match day with minimal pain and a new vital addition to her post-game recovery regime.

In fact, when not kicking balls, she is also part of the team behind Just Live, a US-based CBD brand created by and for athletes.

Fellow US footballer Carli Lloyds, a two-time Olympic gold-medalist (2008 and 2012), is equally supportive of CBD in sport. She credits the cannabinoid with prolonging her career and enabling her to play in Tokyo this summer. When the tournament kicks off, she’ll be 39.

“I am somebody who takes my job very seriously on and off the pitch,” she told Insider magazine. “I’m all about routine. I’m all about listening to my body, taking care of my body. [CBD] just plays into what I’m about.”

When Carli first tried CBD, she “just noticed the instant relief” when dealing with a nagging knee injury.

She used ointments, creams, oils, and sprays as part of her daily routine.

Megan Rapinoe during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France Final match between USA and The Netherlands.

Carli’s superstar teammate Megan Rapinoe is also on board the CBD bandwagon. Perhaps it helps that her twin sister Rachael is co-founder of CBD firm Mendi. She reportedly uses its products to target inflammation and pain, and to stay relaxed.

For true all-action American heroes using CBD, however, look no further than Lolo Jones. As a hurdler and bobsled brakewoman, she is one of the few people to represent her country in the summer and winter Olympics.

She had been preparing to hurdle at Tokyo, until COVID threw the ultimate barrier in her path. The postponement caused the 37-year-old to focus only on next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.

Lolo signed a partnership with CBD business cbdMD in 2019, saying: “I’ve always worked hard to take care of my body and be in the best shape possible. I’ve integrated cbdMD products into my daily routine, noticed the change in my recovery speed, and am proud to partner with them to educate others about my experience.”

Elite golfers, meanwhile, have also flocked to CBD products to help improve their game. Bubba Watson and Greg Norman are among the game’s royalty to have signed official CBD company endorsements in recent years. But others have been less open to using it.

Rory McIlroy, for example, who will represent Ireland in Tokyo, said in 2019: “I’m very careful what I put into my body. I even wouldn’t be comfortable taking CBD oil. I would be too paranoid that there would be THC in it and then that could lead to a positive test.”

This came after PGA Tour winner Matt Every was suspended for 12 weeks on after testing positive for marijuana. The American said he was legally prescribed the drug to treat his mental health.

But CBD’s star is generally on the rise in golf, evidenced by the PGA last year signing a partnership with European CBD brand Cannaray.

Spokesperson for the organisation Richard Barker said: “CBD is fast becoming one of the top health trends in the UK and is already being adopted in the golf sector by amateurs and professionals alike.”

With WADA’s barrier to CBD in the Olympics now gone, the remaining obstacles in those nations where CBD is readily accessible might include stigma; and a lack of knowledge and awareness among sports medicine professionals. Perhaps fears about product quality also prevail.

The Olympian’s body is a fine-tuned engine maintained under a strict regimen of precision ingredients.

Any addition to diet must be carefully managed – not only for performance purposes but also to ensure adherence to strict guidelines; in this case ensuring less than 0.3 per cent THC.

But in the US, for instance, the Foods and Drugs Agency (FDA) has, in recent years, raised concerns about labelling on CBD products.

Between 2014 and 2019 it tested product samples claiming to contain CBD, which were marketed for human or pet use.

Several were found to include THC or other cannabinoids undisclosed on the label.

Similarly in the UK in 2019, the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) reported that only 38 per cent of the 30 CBD oil products tested contained within 10 per cent of the CBD content stated on the label.

Much progress has been made in the years since, however, and more is planned. In January the FDA announced plans to fill gaps in research on the safety and efficacy of CBD.

FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and principal deputy commissioner Amy Abernethy noted in a letter the “rapid increase in the interest and availability” of the products. They also pointed out that “we still have a limited understanding of the safety profile of CBD and many other cannabis-derived compounds, including potential safety risks for people and animals”.

In sports where coaches and support teams trade in cold hard medical facts more research could only help to grow CBD’s influence.

And any flashpoints or commentator’s notes focused on CBD application at this summer’s games could do wonders for its global acceptance.