With the 2024 Paris Olympics done and dusted, attentions are quickly turning to the Paralympic Games which get underway in just over a week’s time.
And while Paralympic athletes put the finishing touches on their preparations, there’s a little-known rule they should be wary of heading into this summer’s spectacle in the French capital.
In recent years, it has become something of a tradition for Olympians to get inked up with the iconic Olympic rings to commemorate and remember their participation at a Games.
However, Paralympians emblazoned with the five rings could face severe punishment should they fail to cover up their body art, as British swimmer Josef Craig found out to his cost in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Games.
Craig, who has the famous Olympic symbol tattooed on his chest, won his heat in the S8 100m freestyle competition at the 2016 IPC European Championships and was disqualified for simply for having the artwork on display at the Madeira event.
The London 2012 gold-medallist was later seen with a cover hiding his tattoo while competing in the S8 400m freestyle – and, in Rio, he painted over the design with a picture of the Union Flag.
After Craig’s disqualification at the European Championships, it was confirmed that the Brit had breached regulations related to advertising.
This is due to the fact the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) functions as a separate organisation from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) – and the two entities therefore have different emblems.
‘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,’ an IPC spokesperson said at the time.
‘All teams are informed of the advertising policy at a technical meeting prior to competition.
‘It wasn’t as if they had not been reminded about the rules.’
How to watch the Paralympics
When and where is it being held?
The 2024 Summer Paralympics begin on Wednesday, August 28.
This year’s Games are being held in Paris in France. The French capital also hosted the Olympics earlier this summer.
The opening ceremony will take place in Place de la Concorde, a major square in the city centre.
The Paralympic Games always takes place in the same location as the Olympics.
What date does it finish?
The Paralympics will end on Sunday, September 8 with the competition lasting 11 days in total.
A closing ceremony will be staged at the Stade de France
How to watch the action
Channel 4 will have exclusive live TV coverage for UK viewers, with more than 1,300 hours of coverage scheduled.
The drama will also be streamed live on Channel 4’s official YouTube channel.
The BBC are also set to broadcast a highlights show dedicated to he action on most evenings across the Games.
Countless athletes at the Olympic Games were pictured proudly displaying the symbol while competing across the Channel earlier this summer.
However, Team GB’s gold-medal winning superstar, Keely Hodgkinson, has her own reasons for not wanting the rings anywhere on her body.
‘Personally, no hate to anyone, I don’t like the Olympic rings. Like, I do like them but not on me,’ Hodgkinson told Activate the Burners ahead of her extraordinary performance to become the new 800m Olympic champion.
Asked if she could be tempted into getting inked up with the emblem, Hodgkinson replied: ‘No, I won’t get them!
‘I think they’re really ugly. No, I just don’t like them as a tattoo for me.
‘I just don’t think it would look right on me so I thought this [the word ‘Tokyo’ written in Japanese] was a bit more low-key.’
