Dutch gymnast Casimir Schmidt’s tattoos are not visible when he’s twirling wildly on the pommel horse or doing somersaults on the floor. It’s only when he stops doing flips that you notice two special tattoos on his arm: Mythical Pokémon Mew and Mushroom Kingdom (and TikTok) Symbol toad.
The world noticed Schmidt’s tattoos during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where Schmidt competed both as an individual and as part of the Dutch national team. Of course, you’d think a Mew tattoo would mean it’s Schmidt’s favorite Pokémon – but that would be wrong. Schmidt told Polygon that his favorite Pokémon is actually Charmeleon, which evolves from Charmander into Charizard. He doesn’t have a Charmeleon tattoo yet, but it’s on the cards.
Schmidt called from Paris and spoke to Polygon about his tattoos, his favorite Pokémon, and gaming at the Olympics.
[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
Polygon: How were the Olympics? Are you still in Paris?
Casimir Schmidt: Yes, I’m still in Paris. I’m training because one of my teammates still has a final. I’m accompanying him and it’s been great fun. Of course there were things we hoped would go better, but it was successful. I’m really happy.
I [and lots of other people] saw that you had Toad and Mew in your arms. Do you have any other gaming tattoos??
Not really. I’m just looking at my arm. There are some things I have no idea about. But no, I don’t. I think it’s just because I’m not a big gamer. But then again, I played all the Nintendo games as a kid, especially Mario Kart. That’s probably why. And lots of Pokémon.
I have a lot of tattoos too, so I can relate. Isn’t it funny how easy it is to forget what you have? I’m going to ask you a question that I hate to be asked, which is: Do the Mew and Toad tattoos have any special meaning?
Honestly, no. Mew is just one of my favorite Pokémon. My favorite Pokémon is Charmeleon. That will be available at some point. I don’t know when, but that will be available. Toad is the Pokémon I always drove in Mario Kart. That’s basically it.
But the story behind it… I was getting a tattoo and my mom wanted to get a tattoo too. My mom went first and we were just waiting. There was this new guy who’s now a friend of mine and he just started tattooing – like two or three people. He was like, “Yeah, I’m bored.” And I was like, “Do you want to practice? Can you just draw me something?” I saw that he had drawn Mew and I was like, “Yeah, let’s go.”
I think a year later I was with another friend, an ex-Olympian who was doing short track [speedskating] at the Winter Games. We were just chatting because he had just started tattooing too. His very first tattoo on anyone was me. It was a little crooked, but it was fun. It’s a nice memory. But a year later, he was much better and he works in a tattoo parlor now. He was like, “Yeah, come on over.” So I came over and he was like, “Do you want Toad?” I was like, “Something like that.” And then I got Toad.
It wasn’t really planned or anything. Mew and Toad are the two most fun for me.
You mentioned that you’re not the biggest gamer, but do you still play video games?
I still play Fourteen days. When I was younger, I played a lot of FIFA, and Pokémon, Mario Kart, Nintendo [games] on the Wii, like Wii Sports. I wasn’t really a gamer like Call of Duty. But about six years ago a friend of mine started playing a new game Fourteen days. I’m not really good yet. I just like playing it. But I don’t play alone. I’m only online when my friends are playing so we can talk.
As elite gymnasts or top athletes, we simply don’t have much time. And when you do have time, you don’t want to leave the house every day or have friends over. It’s a good opportunity to get in touch with friends.
It’s just fun. It’s fun when you die and laugh at your friends. You get mad at someone and then laugh even harder. It’s just fun.
Are you playing the new season?
The one with the cars? That was tough. But the unfolded one was really nice – the one with the little map with tilting and stuff. That was nice. But then I left for Olympia, so I’m curious to see what they have when I come back.
So no gaming at the Olympics for you?
We do have a PlayStation in our accommodation, but we only play FIFA there. I don’t know if there is a PlayStation for everyone in the village accommodation, but we have one in our Dutch accommodation. We have two PlayStations.
Are you popular with other Olympians?
Yes, they are. But everyone just plays FIFA. That was more the case in the beginning, because nowadays people use their TVs to watch other sports. But it’s still a lot of fun.
What is your favorite Game?
I would say Mario Kart. I like Pokémon, but it’s more about the cards and the creatures. But Mario Kart, anyone can play. When you’re competitive? When you’re drunk? When you’re at a party? You can always play. Everyone has fun. You can play with kids. You can play with older people. It’s a beautiful game.
Are you interested in Pokémon cards again? during the boom in the pandemic?
Not recently, but yeah, when they started going back up. I had a lot of Pokémon cards from when I was younger, but I never found them. I think I threw them away or gave them away. That was a bit of a bummer. But yeah, I got into it. I watched some unboxings on TikTok. I ordered a few things, just like old times.
Is there anything else people should know about you?
No, I think I’ve said that before. It’s more that gaming isn’t just for gamers. Some people just see it as gaming, but it’s also about connecting with other people.
