Olympic inspired tattoos have become like a rite of passage for Olympians. Mike Bruner who took home two gold medals in 1976 said, “It’s like being a member of the Army Special Forces.” Back then people associated tattoos with bikers not swimmers and gymnasts. He didn't get his Olympic rings tattooed until the 2008 trials when he saw so many swimmers sporting the tattoos.

Now swimmers who don't have the Olympic rings tattooed somewhere on their bodies are in the minority. So where did this trend start? It is suggested the first Olympic rings can be traced back to Olympian Chris Jacobs, in the 1980s. He won three gold medals in the 1988 Seoul Games. On the way home, he stopped in Hawaii for a little R & R and decided to get his second tattoo, the Olympic Rings tattooed at his racing suit line. Later he had a bigger version inked on right bicep.

Some Olympians choose to place their body art so everyone can see it, like France's Alain Bernard, who wears a large set of rings surrounded by more body art on his right ribcage. Archer Brandy Ellison had the rings tattooed on his forearm, "because when I'm at full draw it would be in all the pictures." Other athletes like the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, has the Olympic rings tattooed over his right hip bone. Every now and then you can see a glimpse of it peeking out at the low-riding waistline swimmers wear.

While many Olympians have the Olympic tattoos, for many it is not their only body art. Her are a few of the medal winners with tattoos on prominent display.

To check out the wide variety of body art on display at the 2012 Olympics, take a moment to check out the "Olympic athletes with tattoos" slideshow.