China’s sports administration body has banned footballers from getting tattoos and instructed national team players who have been inked to remove them or cover them up to set a “good example for society”.
The body said that it was ‘strictly prohibited’ to pick new players for national and youth squads who had tattoos. The directive added that national teams should organize activities that “strengthen the patriotic education” of athletes to “enhance the sense of mission, responsibility and honour, and create a national team capable of conquering and fighting well and with excellent style of play.”
This isn’t the first time China has targeted tattoos. The country has introduced more rules regarding tattoos since 2018 aimed at preventing tattoos from being shown on screen, and some footballers have taken to wearing long-sleeved shirts to cover existing tattoos.
