A rather strange photo was clipped from pan-ams footage this weekend with what looks to be a swastika tattooed on the side of a blue belt competitor.
The match was from the brackets and was not for any medal. The man with the tattoo ended up losing on points so did not progress any further in the competition.
The alleged former nazi is meant to be a reformed character since separating with his past.
The gym he attends commented “Yes Adam is a student of ours. Yes Adam has a past and did some bad things but that was exactly what it was IN THE PAST. He has a family and has genuinely changed his life for the better. He has been covering up tattoos for years now, the most visible ones first of course. It very unfortunate that they got a pic of that! He was concerned about this and because we know him and where his heart is today I didn’t think it would be a problem and BAM look at this! I deeply apologize as I know it’s offensive and please know that if this gentlemen was still like this he wouldn’t be in my gym I can assure you this.”
The gym commented further about trying to be inclusive, saying “We welcome everyone at our gym and as long as I’ve been in Jiu Jitsu and seen the change it can make in people is exactly why we gave him a chance. He is an awesome dude that made some mistakes growing up who hasn’t? His wife and 6 year old son trains with us as well. Everyone loves him here at the gym and if you have him a chance I’m sure you would too. Next I would like to explain the name of the gym. We call it the White House cause the mats are white the walls are white the roof everything inside is white”.
On the one hand, if the gym is truly being honest and he is a reformed character, then like many with a bad past he may just be trying to get on with his life and it’s a genuine mistake. Having said this, if he truly is a reformed character, then you could also make the argument that his tattoo should have been removed as quickly as possible. Even though he’d apparently removed most of his tattoos, in this case, the ink stain still remains which begs the question, why?
Not only this, but it’s naive at best when competing in a tournament covered with cameras and phones, perhaps he should have made more of an effort to cover this up. Although IBJJF does prevent wearing a rashguard, one way around it would have been to heavily tape his waist.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on the issue? Feel free to give your thoughts below.
