Bizarre tattoo ban lifted days out from Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

A bizarre rule forcing Paralympic athletes to cover tattoos of the Olympic rings has been dropped just days out from the Games beginning in Paris this week.

A rule forcing Paralympic Games athletes to cover tattoos of the Olympic rings has been dropped. Picture: Getty Images

A bizarre rule forcing Paralympic Games athletes to cover tattoos of the Olympic rings has been dropped just days out from the start of competition in Paris.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) previously required all athletes to cover the rings throughout competition and those who didn’t faced possible expulsion.

Despite the IPC and International Olympic Committee sharing a close working relationship, they remain very separate entities.

The Paralympic symbol, also known as the Agitos, consists of three colours including blue, green and red – the three colours most common on national flags across the world.

IPC rules had stated displaying the rings was “body advertising”.

“Athletes with such tattoos do not need to cover them up,” an email from Craig Spence, the chief brand and communications officer for the IPC, said with no further explanation given.

The symbol of the Paralympic Games is pictured on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Picture: Getty Images

The now defunct rule was first introduced for the London Paralympics in 2012.

It was officially enforced on British swimmer Josef Craig in the lead up to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The then 19-year-old was disqualified from the men’s S8 100m final at the IPC’s Swimming European Championships.

He failed to cover up his tattoo of the Olympic rings and Team Great Britain’s lion’s head on the left side of his chest in the S8 100m heat, which he eventually won.

“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.

“All teams are informed of the advertising policy at a technical meeting prior to competition so it wasn’t as if they had not been reminded about the rules.”

American Paralympic swimmer, runner and triathlete Rudy Garcia-Tolson went onto win a silver medal in the 200m individual medley in London in 2012 but was able to keep his medal.

That was despite an Olympic ring tattoo being left visible on the back of his left shoulder.