Hong Kong- A new directive issued by the General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) has banned all footballers from getting tattoos and ordered those with existing ones to remove or cover them up to set a good example for society.
The directive — titled “Suggestions for strengthening the management of football players” — explains the disciplinary requirements for national team members.
“Athletes of the national team and U23 national team are strictly prohibited from having new tattoos,” read the directive, which was issued Tuesday. “Those who have tattoos are advised to remove tattoos by themselves. In cases of special circumstances, tattoos must be covered during training and competition after the consent of the team.”
It also banned national teams at Under-20 levels from recruiting new athletes with tattoos. ”
But this isn’t the first time that China has implemented bans against tattoos.
In 2018, China’s media regulator issued a directive which said that Chinese television “should not feature actors with tattoos,” This was a part of the crackdown on “hip hop culture, sub-culture and immoral culture.” Images with tattoos were required to be blurred before they could be shown on Television.
