‘I always correct people’: Aussie’s take on tattoo debate

PARIS: Paralympic gold medallist Vanessa Low says she’s in favour of the backflip that’s allowed athletes to compete at the Paralympics with a visible tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but the long jump champion can see merit in both sides of the debate.
The German-born Australian also says she’s unequivocal in her view that the Olympics and Paralympics, and Olympian and Paralympian, are terms that should not be used interchangeably.
“I don’t like being called an Olympian and I always correct people doing that,” Low told Wide World of Sports.
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A rule introduced by the International Paralympic Committee ahead of the London 2012 Games stated that athletes must not compete with an exposed tattoo of the Olympic rings, citing advertisement of an entity other than the Paralympics.
The Olympics and Paralympics are run by different organisations: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
While the Olympic symbol is formed by five rings coloured blue, yellow, black, green and red, the Paralympic symbol features three “agitos” coloured red, blue and green.
At the 2016 IPC European swimming championships, Great Britain’s Josef Craig was disqualified after racing in the heats of the men’s S8 100m freestyle with an Olympic rings tattoo.
British Paralympic swimmer Josef Craig (left) was once disqualified for competing with a visible tattoo of the Olympic rings, as displayed by Australian Olympic swimmer Kyle Chalmers. Getty
But less than a week out from the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics, taking place on Thursday morning (AEST), the IPC tossed out its Olympic rings tattoo ban.
“Athletes with such tattoos do not need to cover them up,” Craig Spence, the chief brand and communications officer for the IPC, said in an email that provided no explanation for the ruling.
Low explained her stance in an interview with WWOS ahead of the Paris Games, where the 34-year-old will be vying to win her third Paralympic long jump gold medal in succession.
Australian long jump champion Vanessa Low in action at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris. Getty
“The Paralympic Games is a protected brand and so is the Olympics, and I think it is quite important to protect that because the Olympics and Paralympics are so special, happening once every four years where the best of the best of athletes come together,” Low said.
“Treating it as a brand, I can totally understand where the IPC are coming from. If Paralympians are competing at the Paralympics and are displaying a brand that is not the Paralympics, we are advertising for an event we are not participating in … We want to make sure we put all of our attention towards this amazing event that we have, and not the one that happened about four weeks ago.”
Watch every moment, every medal of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
A tattoo of the Olympic rings, visible on a gymnast at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Getty
However, Low added that the Olympic and Paralympic movements “have a lot in common”, and said she could understand why some athletes would “associate with the values that the Olympic rings stand for”.
“I do like that they have a revised decision about this and that they’re allowing athletes to find their own understanding of where they fit in within the Olympic and Paralympic world,” Low said.
“It’s much more about a brand to those athletes; it’s about values and participation in sport, but also excelling at the high-performance level where they feel very associated with the Olympics, as well.”
The Paralympic symbol, the three “agitos”, as seen on a triathlete ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Getty
Low was 15 when she was standing on a crowded railway platform and ended up on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. She doesn’t know if she slipped or was pushed.
She lost both legs — her left above the knee and her right through it. She also suffered serious head and back injuries, and multiple broken bones.
She spent two months in a coma, spent six months in hospital and underwent nine surgeries.
Her survival was a miracle.
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Competing for Germany, Low won Paralympic long jump gold at Rio 2016, before clinching more long jump gold in Tokyo but in Australian colours.
“I’m really proud to compete at the Paralympic Games,” Low said.
The Paralympics are regularly mistaken for the Olympics, as are Paralympians for Olympians, but such a mistake is never made in reverse.
That irks many Paralympians, including Low and wheelchair racing legend Madison de Rozario, who on Thursday morning (AEST) will carry the Australian flag with swimming champion Brenden Hall at the opening ceremony.
Vanessa Low celebrating winning Paralympic gold in Tokyo. Getty
“My story is very unique in a way that I am who I am because of my disability, and I am the athlete I am because of my disability, as well,” Low said.
“So I think it is quite important to distinguish [between the Olympics and Paralympics].
“I think it has to do with appreciation and respect towards the athlete and learning the very simple terminology like, ‘A person with a disability competes at the Paralympic Games’. For me it is a form of respect to say, ‘You know what? I understand the event you compete in and I understand your story behind that’.
“I don’t like being called an Olympian and I always correct people doing that, knowing that it doesn’t always come from a bad intention. Often it comes with the intention that they want to value the performance we show, but for me, being called a Paralympian is actually valuing the performance that I can do.”
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