The Paralympics|The rules of the Paralympics were broken.
Paralympic Committee has decided to change its rules before the Paris Games starting on Wednesday, reports The New York Times.
Before, athletes were threatened with rejection if they displayed a tattoo with the five rings of the Olympic movement. The ban was part of a rule aimed at preventing skin tattooed advertising.
Since many Olympic and Paralympic athletes tattooed the rings on their skin after reaching major competitions, the ban caused criticism and surprise. For example, a wheelchair winder Leo-Pekka Tähti raced with the tires hidden.
Olympic ring tattoos no longer need to be covered up, Paralympic Committee communications manager Craig Spence said in the announcement. He refused to explain the change in any way.
Swimmer Rudy Garcia-Tolson was happy with the decision, whatever the reason.
“Para-athletes have enough to worry about anyway. For many of us, it is important to have a logo on our skin that tells about our story and our experiences as athletes,” he commented to NYT.
Since the International Olympic Committee and the Paralympic Committee are separate organizations, the Olympic rings are not actually the logo of the Paralympics. Instead, the official logo consists of a red, blue and green shape resembling a crescent moon.
Therefore, the Olympic rings were seen as promoting an external brand: the Olympians.
For many, like Garcia-Tolson, the Olympic rings are a much stronger and more recognizable symbol than the Paralympic ones.
“For me, the Olympic rings represent that I want to become the best,” he commented.
In the foreground are the Olympic rings and the Paralympic logo.
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