BEIJING: With thousands of athletes filling the Olympic village, each one tries to be different to be a cut above the rest.
Honduran taekwondo player Miguel Adrian Ferrera Rodriguez had the five Olympic rings and the three Korean characters for "taekwondo" tattooed on the inside of his right arm.
"I had it done as soon as I knew I'd qualified to compete in the Games," the 26-year-old was quoted as saying in China Daily.
"If I win a medal I'll get another tattoo on my left arm," he joked.
A popular design among swimmers is that of a shark tattooed on the shoulder blade. Tussauds.
Sharpshooter Ned Gerard, who is representing the Virgin Islands at his first Olympics in Beijing, had the Olympic logo tattooed on his wrist.
"It's good for motivation," the 53-year-old said.
Others prefer to show their love for the Olympics through their hairstyles.
New Zealand swimmer Daniel Bell is one of many to have had the Olympic rings etched into his cropped hair.
"Right now it's for my personal pleasure. If I win, I'll throw off my cap and show it to the world," he said.
"The Olympic emblem is the most popular hair design. We do about 10 of those every day," village hair salon stylist Zhao Haigang said.
