Rio Confidential: Tattoos galore as athletes’ Olympic ink goes on show

THEY have the perfect blank canvas: ripped bodies primed for peak performance. So it’s no surprise that Rio is a parade of the tattooed body. Or ‘Olympic Ink’.

Argentina's Ignacio Perrin shows off his tattoos after a boxing training session.

THEY have the perfect blank canvas: ripped bodies primed for peak performance.

So it’s no surprise that the parade of the tattooed body — or Olympic Ink — is one of the great unheralded Games sports.

One after the other, athletes take to the pool, the boxing ring, the diving platform — any stadium going — with their body art on full display.

Frenchman Frederick Bousquet. Picture: Phil Hillyard

It’s a long held Olympic tradition to ink the rings, but mostly the tatts on display in Rio are far more intricate.

It’s French swimmer Frederick Bousquet who is the talk of the pool, with dramatic wings emerging from either side of the front of his swimmers.

He’s also got a child tattooed on one arm, a dove under one pec and a series of swirls over his shoulders.

Tattoos at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Then there’s Australia boxer Daniel Jason Lewis who has opted to have the phrase “drop bombs” slung around his neck in dramatic scrawl.

Daniel Jason Lewis of Australia works out in a boxing training session at Rio.

He also has a pair of boxing gloves on his hip, sleeve-like tatts and Roman numerals all over his upper body.

United States' Jake Dalton sports a tattoo on his back.

On the more traditional front, US gymnast Jack Dalton has gone for a more traditional “USA” complete with the Olympic rings on his shoulder blades and Argentinian field hockey player Agustina Albertarrio has gone for “make it happen” on her tricep.

Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain.

Australian swimmers have also adopted a trend of having their swimmer number tattooed in Roman numerals.

A tattoo is seen on Argentina's Agustina Albertarrio during the women's field hockey.

Originally published as Rio Confidential: Tattoos galore as athletes’ Olympic ink goes on show