Not just medals: Athletes show off their Olympic accomplishments with ink WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

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, …