Ending the tattoo ban means a lot for athletes competing in Paris Paralympics

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What's in a tattoo? Ask some of the 4,400-odd Para athletes who will be competing at the Paris Paralympics from August 28. In what can be perceived as a massive change for the good, the decision of the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) to allow athletes to flaunt tattoos has come in for lavish praise.

First and foremost, the decision to penalise athletes who did not cover the tattoo with a patch or use some kind of cover over it invited punishment.

Rewind to a major meet before the Rio 2016 Paralympics, British Para swimmer Josef Craig was penalised for not covering his Olympic ring tattoos on his chest. Josef had been disqualified from the European Para swimming meet, even after he had won a heat in the 100m freestyle competition.

For its part, the IPC defended that decision by saying: "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. 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 the IPC changed it stand is surprising and has caught the attention of one an all. It is well known, advertising, marketing, commercial deals involve big bucks at the Olympics and the Paralympics.

What needs to be understood is, while the Olympics is the property of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), the Paralympics is a different property which comes under the IPC.

So, how did the IPC decide sporting Olympic rings or any other logos as a tattoo was tantamount to flouting rules? Is it because of the fact the Olympic rings are sacrosanct and also does not belong to the Para athletes.

Whichever way one looks at it, tattoos being banned was primitive and a sign of being authoritative. That the IPC is tight-lipped and has permitted tattoos now in Paris is a clear sign they have bowed to pressure.

As it is, the Para athletes have to face so many hardships to compete in various sporting disciplines. If one tattoo boosted their egos and spirit, what was wrong in it.

One look at elite athletes across the globe, tattoos are common. Superstars like Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton and even Carlos Alcaraz have multiple tattoos on their body.

Hamilton has gone to the extreme of even wearing ear rings and nose rings, something which has earned him a warning repeatedly from the FIA (world motorsports body) purely on safety regulations.

A few other F1 drivers wanted to sport the rainbow colours, which is a symbol of support for the LGBTQ community in Arab countries.

At least, in the case of Para athletes, these tattoos had nothing to do which was aimed at creating a controversy. Yes, tattoos are a personal decision and someone like CR7 - Cristiano Ronaldo - is free from tattoos.

At the same time, if you look at cricketers like Suryakumar Yadav, the current Indian T20 captain and Virat Kohli, tattoos are a craze. Fans also want to imitate these tattoos, right or wrong.

Back to the Paralympics, the tattoo controversy has died down before the action has begun. Whether it was pressure from the athletes or the world body (IPC) decided that this would allow athletes to compete in a better frame of mind is not clear.

Going by all reactions in media and social media, there is a sense of relief. An athlete's body is his or her own. As long as there is no harm to other competitors in the field of play, how does it matter whether an athlete went in for a tattoo or not.

The craze for a tattoo is not something modern, really. Even if you rewind to people in India six decades ago, a tattoo had many symbolic meanings. It may have been a lucky charm or even a superstition.

Yes, tattoo shops are more in vogue now and Para athletes will ensure they do not do something which can again bring them under scrutiny. If you think the tattoo debate has ended, one will have to wait for the full duration of the Paralympics fortnight. In the name of rules and regulations, anything can happen.

Lest one forget, when the FIFA World Cup happened in Doha, Qatar in 2022, a ban on beer sale near the stadia hit a major sponsor. So did a ban of flouting rainbow colours, as LGBTQ is not permitted under Islamic countries. Hopefully, Paris will be peaceful on the tattoo front!