Not just medals: Athletes show off their Olympic accomplishments with ink
Olympians have been getting the five interlocking rings tattooed on their bodies for more than 30 years.
From big and flashy to dainty and low-key, an Olympic rings tattoo is ubiquitous among athletes who have earned the privilege of competing at the highest level of sport. While the size, placement and additional design elements vary, the image of five interlocking rings permanently etched on Olympians’ bodies remains unmistakable.
Over the course of the 2024 Paris Olympics, seasoned athletes have been showing off their ink on their taut torsos, flexed biceps and sweat-glistened napes. Eager to join the elite club, first-time Olympians have taken to social media to share their plans of getting tatted once the Games end.
More than 30 years ago, American swimmer and two-time Olympic gold winner Christopher Jacobs originated the now-iconic tattoo trend after competing during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Overwhelmed with gratitude and inspired by the camaraderie he felt being part of such a “positive group of people” during the Games, Jacobs told Yahoo Entertainment, he got the interlocking rings tattooed on his hip, an intentionally discreet location that “fit perfectly and was visible only to me.” A few years later, he also put a larger version of the rings on the inside of his right bicep.
“It was a combination of all of these emotions that made me want to commemorate the event, and at some point over the next couple of days I decided that a tattoo of the Olympic rings might be a fun way to do it,” he explained. “I’d begun seeing more and more ring tattoos on swimmers over the years [since I got tattooed], but until then, never contemplated that I’d been the first.”
Jacobs says it’s “pretty cool” to be a source of inspiration for other Olympic athletes.
“I’d like to think that anyone who’s ever gotten an Olympic rings tattoo continues to be as comfortable with their decision as I am with mine,” he said.
From the pool and the track to the basketball court and balance beam, the interlocking ring tattoos are visible on athletes across all sports. Simone Biles, who took home three gold medals and a silver medal during the Paris Games, and her fellow medal-winning gymnastics teammates Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee all have variations of the aforementioned tattoo on their bodies. Biles got her ink months after the 2016 Rio Olympics, while Lee and Chiles got tattooed after returning home from the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“I also haven’t decided if I’m going to get a tattoo after this,” Biles said in an Aug. 2 TikTok. “I already have the Olympic rings but maybe something as an ode to Paris.”
Gaurika Singh, a Nepalese swimmer, made her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016 at just 13 years old. The youngest athlete to compete during those Games, Singh always knew she wanted to get the rings tattooed — “It’s like being accepted in an exclusive club,” she told Yahoo — but her age prohibited her from immediately doing so.
“I actually waited until after my second Olympic Games [in Tokyo] to get my tattoo, because I was too young after my first [Olympics in Rio],” she said. “I had to wait until I was over 18.”
When it comes to tattoo placement, it’s all about personal choice.
“I got mine on my rib cage and [in a] medium size, because I wanted it big enough to be visible and show its importance but also in a place where people could see [it], but only if I wanted them to,” Singh said. “The Olympics is my biggest achievement, but [it] doesn’t solely define me.”
For Australian long jumper Brooke Buschkuehl, getting a tattoo was never something she saw herself doing. But she promised her younger self that if she ever qualified for the Games, she’d “have to get a tattoo of the rings.”
“I love that it is a constant reminder of what I have been able to achieve through hard work, determination and never giving up through challenging times,” she told Yahoo.
The 31-year-old track and fielder competed at her first Olympics in 2016. She represented Australia once more during the 2020 Olympics and competed in the women’s long jump qualifying round at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Buschkuehl first got tattooed on her wrist weeks after returning home from Rio. Beneath her rings reads “Rio 2016.” A few months after the Tokyo Games, she got “Tokyo 2020” added to her tattoo.
“I’m excited to add ‘Paris 2024’ to the list after I compete this week,” she said.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics coming to a close on Aug. 11, some first-time Olympians have even decided to get their tattoos before boarding their flights home. It's possible that getting inked in Paris, the site of their very first Olympic Games, adds to the sentimentality of it all.
Aleah Finnegan, a 21-year-old Filipino American gymnast for Team Philippines, visited a local tattoo shop days after competing on the floor exercise. Finnegan opted for a sleek, minimalist set of rings above her left wrist.
“It looks so good,” she said in a TikTok after seeing her completed tattoo for the first time. “I love it.”
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