So many rings: Olympic tattoos that made their mark at Tokyo 2020
The Tokyo Olympics may be over, but these athletes have made the games a permanent part of them. Literally.
Honoring the Olympics with a tattoo has been a tradition for competitors. There's a sense of pride that goes with the rings—it signifies all the hard work they've put in to get to where they are. A number of athletes were seen sporting the Olympic ink during this year's games, so let's look back at some of the coolest tattoos we've seen on the sports stage in the past months.
Hidilyn Diaz
It's hard to miss gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz's Olympic tattoo. The weightlifting champ wore her tattoo with pride as she lifted the gold medal-clinching weight of 127kg at the Tokyo Olympics. Looks like she got her ink refreshed recently, too, at 55Tinta.
Tom Daley
When this British diver was 18, he celebrated his successful run at the 2012 London Olympics with an Olympic tattoo. But what makes the gold medalist's Olympic ink story cuter is that his mom paid for the tattoo as an 18th birthday gift. Sure, Tom's tattoo can be easily spotted when he was diving in Tokyo, but it's been fun seeing the ink when he was knitting while watching the games.
Margielyn Didal
Before heading to Tokyo, the 22-year-old skateboarder celebrated qualifying for the Olympics with a tattoo. She didn't get just the regular rings, though. Below the Olympic rings, Margielyn got the year "2021" done with the "0," a cartoon of the COVID-19 virus and the "1" a syringe. The skating sensation had her ink done at Redeemed Tattoo in Cebu earlier this June. She said it was inspired by fellow Filipina Olympian Hidilyn Diaz.
Simone Biles
After winning four gold medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016, American gymnast Simone Biles celebrated her achievements with her first tattoo: the Olympic rings on her forearm. Despite struggling with her mental health during the Tokyo Olympics, Simone took home the bronze beam medal, which she says is her most meaningful one as it represented her focus on mental health and perseverance.
Vanessa Ferrari
Silver medalist in artistic gymnastics Vanessa Ferrari showed off the ink on her neck at the Tokyo Olympics. Below the rings, the Italian tattooed the other Olympic events she has competed in, including Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016. Will she be adding Tokyo 2002 there soon?
Nope, they aren't stickers
These other athletes also donned the five rings on their skin.
(Thumbnail photos from Ben Curtis/AP, Jiji/AFP, Gareth Ziyambi.)
