For a complete history on Olympic Tattoos look no further than this feature story
U.S. Swimmers Go for Gold, and a Tattoo
written by NY Times reporter Karen Crouse.
Karen covers the bases we in the swimming community already know, that Missy Franklin’s fine with getting ink, but that Natalie Coughlin — despite three trips to the Olympic Games — simply does not want to bring attention to herself in public. Karen does, however, go back in time and find the first Olympic swimmer to get the rings, Chris Jacobs, an old Olympic teammate of mine from the 1988 Olympic Games.
FROM KAREN: “Jacobs, who won three medals at the 1988 Seoul Games, admired the maple leaf tattoo on the chest of the Canadian breaststroker Victor Davis. On his way home from South Korea, Jacobs stopped in Hawaii to unwind and to get the Olympic rings tattoo near his racing suit line.”
Long live the tradition, and many thanks to Chris Jacobs for starting it.
Some of those tatoos are huge! So much for modesty! Billboard size here we come!
they’re proud, and should be. French sprint-man, Fred Bousquet, has the best ink, best art, but didn’t get the rings.
I agree. I love my rings, but some of those tattoos are GIGANTIC!
Did anyone notice that Lauren Perdue’s bottom two rings are mixed up. I am pretty sure the yellow is supposed to be on the left, maybe its just the picture that makes it look different, I could be wrong.
I think she just took the photo in a mirror
Taken using a mirror is my guess
i like Franklin and Perdues, small and subtle. Burkle & Fiegen’s are just flat out tacky.
Yes, because 50 years from now when their skin is wrinkled and sagging people will remind them how it was indeed tacky to get the rings tattooed after making it to the finals/earning a medal at the Olympics. I hope you can detect my sarcasm.