The Paris Olympics are not quite over just yet and many athletes could be in trouble over having the Olympic rings tattoo.
The Paralympics are due to get underway in Paris on August 29th.
With the Paris Paralympics commencing within the next week or so, do not expect to see any stars showing off an Olympic rings tattoo, as doing so will disqualify them, per Ladbible.
You read that correctly. The International Paralympic Committee, which functions as a completely separate organization from the International Olympic Committee, enforces a little-known bizarre rule.
With the 2024 edition of the Paralympics set to take place next week, participants could have all of their hopes and dreams dashed if they are unable to cover their ink properly.
Since the ruling was introduced in 2012, Paralympic competitors have had to be overly cautious about showing their ink, and many have covered it with clothing and makeup to ensure they are within the rules.
Former Swimmer Was Previously Disqualified For His Olympic Rings Tattoo
Swimmers at the 2024 Paralympics will need to read up on rules about their Olympic ring tattoos, as they could face being disqualified from the little-known rule.
For example, back in 2016, British swimmer Josef Craig learned about the rule in the lead-up to Rio the hard way when competing at the International Paralympic Committee Swimming European Championships in Portugal.
He would soon find out he was disqualified despite winning his heat of the S8 100m freestyle final.
The then-19-year-old entered the pool with his Olympic rings tattoo clearly visible, and that turned out to be a bad decision.
The IPC explained why they disqualified Craig.
“Body advertising is not allowed in any way whatsoever, and that includes the Olympic rings. The athlete did not wear a cover and was therefore disqualified,’ an IPC spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
