TAT BAN

China Bans Tattoos for Soccer Stars, Orders ‘Patriotic Education’ Instead

Party-led sports body steps up campaign against tattoos to set “good example to society,” telling soccer stars to get body ink removed if they want to play for China.

Young Chinese soccer stars dreaming of one day playing for their country have been warned they’ll never get to the World Cup if they have any tattoos. In the latest front in the Communist Party’s battle against perceived degenerate Western attitudes, the main Chinese sports body says players representing China at any level will not be allowed new tattoos and those with existing tattoos “are advised to remove them themselves.” Once the preserve of gangsters and prisoners, tattoos have become increasingly popular among young Chinese city-dwellers and sports stars, including the much-inked China defender Zhang Linpeng. The party-led General Administration of Sport (GAS) had already ordered soccer players to cover body ink up with long sleeves or even tape during big games but said on Thursday an outright ban would set “a good example for society” and help “create a national team capable of conquering and fighting well and with excellent style of play,” the South China Morning Post reported. It also suggested national teams organize ideological and political education activities” to “strengthen the patriotic education” of their players.