Pain Olympics
Encyclopedia
The Pain Olympics or BME Pain Olympics, is one of the events that occasionally occurs at BME BBQs, especially BMEFest. It is not endorsed in any way by the IOC
but merely a contest to see who has the highest pain tolerance
and stamina where the contestants come from a group of familiar people. Much like drinking game
s, these are performed at the contestant's own risk as a rite of passage
, although the contestants do not intoxicate themselves.
Rites of passage involving pain tolerance have been documented from the earliest of human records. What distinguishes the Pain Olympics from other such rituals, like Kavadi or the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, is that it is rarely done for spiritual enlightenment
, but rather out of curiosity and sport. In addition, Pain Olympics are almost exclusively held by those people attending BME BBQs and are usually well photographed and video recorded for bmezine.com
and there generally is no prize for winning other than notoriety, although some rumours go around (apparently unfounded) that there are financial prizes for some of the most shocking or painful movies posted.
, forehead pulling, and seeing how much weight one can carry on a suspension. The "Pain Olympics" name was first used at the 2003 BMEFest in Tweed, Ontario
(and then again at the 2005 BMEFest in Toronto after skipping a year when BMEFest was held in La Paz, Baja California Sur
, Mexico) in the form of a play piercing contest and set the tone for those to follow, with contestants and MCs like The Lizardman, Shannon Larratt
, and The Great Orbax. The Pain Olympics is only a small part of the BMEfest experience, but because of the viral video has taken on a mythical history that is much larger than its reality.
Internet viral video
entitled BME Pain Olympics: Final Round that has nothing to do with the actual Pain Olympics. It has been viewed and promoted by a large number of Web surfers and popular bloggers such as Joe Rogan
and has been the subject of reaction videos on sites including YouTube. In the video, two men are seen performing genital self-mutilation (including using a meat cleaver) set to the song "Livin' Like a Zombie" by Mortification
. The original video, hosted on BMEzine, displays a message at the end confirming it is fake; however, most of the other versions of the video on other websites do not have that message at the end. According to Shannon Larratt
, the creator of the video, the two "competitors" (who are actually the same person) used prosthetic makeup and the video contains no actual body modification.
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
but merely a contest to see who has the highest pain tolerance
Pain tolerance
Pain tolerance is the maximum level of pain that a person is able to tolerate. Pain tolerance is distinct from pain threshold .-Factors affecting pain tolerance:...
and stamina where the contestants come from a group of familiar people. Much like drinking game
Drinking game
Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages. These games vary widely in scope and complexity, although the purpose of most is to become intoxicated as quickly as possible...
s, these are performed at the contestant's own risk as a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
, although the contestants do not intoxicate themselves.
Rites of passage involving pain tolerance have been documented from the earliest of human records. What distinguishes the Pain Olympics from other such rituals, like Kavadi or the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, is that it is rarely done for spiritual enlightenment
Enlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
, but rather out of curiosity and sport. In addition, Pain Olympics are almost exclusively held by those people attending BME BBQs and are usually well photographed and video recorded for bmezine.com
BME (website)
Body Modification Ezine is an online magazine devoted to body modification, noted for its coverage of the extreme and fringes of body modification and erotic body play....
and there generally is no prize for winning other than notoriety, although some rumours go around (apparently unfounded) that there are financial prizes for some of the most shocking or painful movies posted.
History
The first Pain Olympics were inspired by games such as at the 2001 July 1 BBQ in Toronto, Ontario, where some of the events included drinking hot sauceHot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
, forehead pulling, and seeing how much weight one can carry on a suspension. The "Pain Olympics" name was first used at the 2003 BMEFest in Tweed, Ontario
Tweed, Ontario
Tweed is a municipality and a village located in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, in Hastings County.The Municipality of Tweed is an amalgamated municipality comprising the former Village of Tweed and the former Townships of Hungerford and Elzevir & Grimsthorpe...
(and then again at the 2005 BMEFest in Toronto after skipping a year when BMEFest was held in La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
, Mexico) in the form of a play piercing contest and set the tone for those to follow, with contestants and MCs like The Lizardman, Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt is the creator and former editor and publisher of BMEzine. It is the oldest and largest body modification website on the internet, as well as the companion online community site IAM.BMEzine.com. He has also published several books, including the ModCon book...
, and The Great Orbax. The Pain Olympics is only a small part of the BMEfest experience, but because of the viral video has taken on a mythical history that is much larger than its reality.
BME Pain Olympics: Final Round
There is a hoaxHoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
Internet viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
entitled BME Pain Olympics: Final Round that has nothing to do with the actual Pain Olympics. It has been viewed and promoted by a large number of Web surfers and popular bloggers such as Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
and has been the subject of reaction videos on sites including YouTube. In the video, two men are seen performing genital self-mutilation (including using a meat cleaver) set to the song "Livin' Like a Zombie" by Mortification
Mortification (band)
Mortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band which was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal group, Lightforce, by mainstay Steve Rowe on bass guitar and vocals. By 1990, in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, they were renamed as Mortification with the line-up of Rowe, Michael Carlisle on...
. The original video, hosted on BMEzine, displays a message at the end confirming it is fake; however, most of the other versions of the video on other websites do not have that message at the end. According to Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt is the creator and former editor and publisher of BMEzine. It is the oldest and largest body modification website on the internet, as well as the companion online community site IAM.BMEzine.com. He has also published several books, including the ModCon book...
, the creator of the video, the two "competitors" (who are actually the same person) used prosthetic makeup and the video contains no actual body modification.
See also
- Masochism
- Backyard wrestlingBackyard wrestlingBackyard wrestling , and also referred to as yarding or backyarding is a controversial underground recreation based on the usually untrained practice of professional-style wrestling in a typically low budget environment between predominantly 12 to 30 year old males. Some practitioners have attended...
- Rite of passageRite of passageA rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
- Kavadi
- Phuket Vegetarian Festival