Just getting to the Olympics is often a lifelong dream for many athletes, most of whom have dedicated years to their craft. It’s no wonder, then, that the famed five Olympic rings (which represent the continents of the world) have found themselves permanently inked onto the skin of countless competitors.
Tokyo 2020 will see the rings once again make dozens of appearances as athletes competing in various events sport the tattoos. Here are 10 to keep your eyes out for.
Siobhan Haughey
Swimmer Siobhan Haughey is one of Hong Kong’s brightest medal prospects. Haughey was at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and competed in the 200m freestyle. Although she finished 13th in the event, it was the best result any Hong Kong swimmer had ever achieved at the Olympics. In the same year, Haughey had the Olympic rings tattooed on her left shoulder and posted it on her Instagram account, noting it would be the only one she would ever get.
“When I look back, I’ll remember the hard work, struggles, sacrifices and successes. But that won’t stop me from moving forward.”
Kyle Chalmers
Shortly after arriving home after the Rio Games with a gold medal in hand, Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers got three tattoos.
“I went and got the Olympic rings on my ribs. And then I went and got some Roman numerals on my wrists. It was the 31st Olympics, so I got the number on there. And then I got the Olympic motto – Citius, Altius, Fortius – on my forearm as well.”
Chalmers was just 18 when he won gold in the men’s 100m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2019 he won silver at the World Championships in the 100m freestyle and is now set to defend his gold medal in Tokyo.
Brady Ellison
“It’s one of the things you see all the cooler Olympians having,” said archer Brady Ellison in an interview with Washington Post in 2016.
Ellison is an American-born archer who competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics and is a three-time medallist. At Rio he won bronze and the silver team medal. He is looking for his first gold at Tokyo 2020.
Vanessa Ferrari
Italian-born Vanessa Ferrari is an artistic gymnast who is a five-time world championship medallist and eight-time European medallist. She has previously competed for Italy at the past three Olympic Games and is set to compete in Tokyo. She has tattooed the rings on the back of her neck, along with the venues of each Games she has attended.
Joseph Schooling
Like Kyle Chalmers, Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling had the Olympic rings tattooed onto his right arm shortly after winning the gold medal.
At the 2016 Rio Games, Schooling won Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the 100m butterfly. His winning time of 50.39 seconds broke multiple records at a national and Olympic level, and he beat his childhood idol, Michael Phelps, in the process.
Michelle Coleman
Sweden’s Michelle Coleman competed at the 2012 and 2016 Games and has the rings tattooed on her forearm. She holds the current Swedish national record in the 100m and 200m backstroke. At the 2015 World Championships she led the Swedish team to a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay.
Stephanie Au Hoi-shun
Hong Kong swimmer Stephaine Au Hoi-shun is a multiple Hong Kong record holder.
A year ago, Au got the Olympic rings tattooed in colour on her ribs after she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, which is her fourth and possibly final Games, after previously competing at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
“I told myself to get this tattoo if I make it to the fourth Olympics,” Au captioned her photo on Instagram. “It’s a promise to myself.”
Joana Heidrich
Swiss women’s beach volleyball player Joana Heidrich has “Rio 2016” tattooed on the side of her rib cage, signifying the first Olympics in which she competed. She lost, along with her partner Nadine Zumkehr, in the first round to a Brazilian team, but is back again at Tokyo 2020 hoping for a better result.
In an Instagram post, she spoke about how special the Olympics are, and how special it is to head to not one, but two, Games.
“I am so happy that I can experience this journey for a second time.”
Ana Derek
Croatian artistic gymnast Ana Derek, who also qualified for Rio 2016, is set to compete in her second Olympics at Tokyo 2020. Derek, 22, competes in both the balance beam and the floor exercise. Derek posted a cheeky photo of herself hanging out in a statue of the rings in Tokyo before the Games began, noting how hard it was to make the Olympics in the first place.
“Tell me you worked your a** off without telling me you worked your a** off,” she wrote.
Tom Daley
British diver Thomas Daley got the Olympic logo of five rings on his biceps after he won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, when he was only 18.
Interestingly, Daley used a tattoo voucher given to him by his mum to get inked.
“Guess what my mum got me for my birthday?! A voucher to go and get an Olympic tattoo after the games. How cool is she?!” he tweeted.
