THE: New York Times reveals that the International Paralympic Committee will now allow athletes to display their tattoo on the five interlocking rings during the day. A ban that has been in effect since 2012.
They risked sanction and disqualification if they allowed a drawing of the Olympic rings to appear on their skin during events. Athletes will now be allowed to display their tattoo on five interlocking frames at the next Paralympic Games in Paris, according to the article. New York Times published on Friday August 23rd. Amazingly, since 2012, Paralympians who have specifically worn this logo on their bodies have had to cover it up due to a rule against body advertising. Indeed, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) saw it as a promotion of a different National Olympic Committee (IOC).
Two different logos
Because, contrary to popular belief, the Paralympic Games have no official connection with the Olympic rings. Despite their close ties, the IPC and IOC are independent organizations with different statutes and, above all, different logos. The Paralympic Games are made up of three commas – red, blue and green – called “Agitos”, the Latin word for “I move”.
“Displaying the Olympic rings confuses the public and affects the perception of the Paralympic brand as distinct from the Olympic brand,” an IPC spokesperson explained to NBC Sports in 2016. However, just days before the 2024 Paralympic Games, which begin on Wednesday August 28 in Paris, the IPC has reversed course. “Athletes with such tattoos do not need to cover them up,” Craig Spence, director of branding and communications for the IPC, said in an email. New York Times on Friday, August 23. The newspaper details that no explanation was given for this decision.
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Censored with permanent marker
In general, both the IPC and the IOC prohibit advertising on athletes’ bodies, with a few obvious exceptions, such as clothing brand logos on swimsuits or swimwear. But for many para-athletes, having the Olympic rings tattooed on their skin is far from a means of promotion.
As with their counterparts at the Olympics, it’s about capturing the memory of their hard work forever. “Having a logo on our body that represents our journey, our experience as athletes, that’s important to a lot of us,” American swimmer and five-time Paralympic medalist Rudy Garcia-Tolson said in the article. New York Times. The latter had refused to use permanent marker to hide a tattoo of the Olympic rings he wore on his upper back when the IPC began banning the symbol in 2012. “It was never a problem,” he insists, until he was disqualified from the competition ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics because the marker ink was washed off during his race (he eventually won an appeal and was reinstated).
If he qualifies for the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, where he plans to return after a long break, Rudy Garcia-Tolson will finally be able to make his mark at home.
Source: Le Figaro
