The crazy rule that was overturned for the 2024 Paralympics

Rule overturned
No cover up
The Olympic rings
The IPC
Josef Craig
Disqualified
“Body advertising is not allowed”
Rule changed
Slightly different rules
No advertisement
T-Mobile tattoo
No explanation
Rule overturned

The 2024 Paralympic Games are entering their final phase, with a controversial rule already overturned before the start of the event.

No cover up

Paralympians will no longer have to cover up their tattoos of the Olympic rings logo, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed.

The Olympic rings

It's become a regular occurrence that Olympians have the Olympic rings tattooed to remember their Olympic experience. Previously, Paralympians with the same tattoos would face disqualification if they weren't covered during their events.

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The IPC

The rule was enforced by the International Paralympic Committee, a completely separate entity from the International Olympic Committee.

Josef Craig

British swimmer Josef Craig, the 400m freestyle S7 gold medallist at the 2012 Olympics, learned about the regulations in brutal fashion in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Disqualified

According to the Daily Mail, while competing at the International Paralympic Committee Swimming European Championships, Craig was disqualified despite winning his heat of the S8 100m freestyle final.

“Body advertising is not allowed”

The Paralympic champion entered the pool with his Olympic rings and his Team GB Lions head tattoos visible on his chest. The IPC said: "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."

Rule changed

With his body art covered up, Craig won bronze in the S8 100m freestyle in Rio, and finally, due to the ridiculousness of the rule, it won't be enforced by the IPC at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris.

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Slightly different rules

Aussie freestyle king Kyle Chalmers was able to leap off the blocks with his Olympic rings on full display at the Paris Games earlier this month, and that's because the IOC and IPC had slightly different rules.

No advertisement

Tattoos, including those of the Olympic rings, are usually allowed to be on show at the Olympic Games unless they advertise a product. American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds would have had to cover his tattoo at Rio 2016 had he not got injured.

T-Mobile tattoo

According to the Nine website, Symmonds sold 23cm of his arm for $21,800 (€19,635, £16,738) to T-Mobile In the United States, a rival of AT&T, which at the time was a sponsor of USA's Olympic and Paralympic teams.

No explanation

Craig Spence, the IPC's chief brand and communications officer, said: "Athletes with such tattoos do not need to cover them up," but did not explain why the rule has changed.

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