Some Fun Facts About Olympic Uniforms

The Olympic Games is the story of the moment and all the focus is on the athletes and the expectations placed upon them…but very little is mentioned about the Olympic uniforms. Why not ? Their uniforms are an essential element of their performance and of the whole team image and performance.

Just take the Nike uniforms that the US track and field team will wear at the London summer Olympics which are believed to be able to shave 0.023 seconds off the time for the 100 metre sprint…and we all know how valuable that microsecond is in that extraordinary race.

For some more trivia about uniforms and the Olympics, read on :-

·Team USA’s uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies for the summer Olympics will be designed by Ralph Lauren (he of the much-desired polo shirts!).

·Tennis star (and holder of an Olympic singles title) Venus Williams designed the hats worn by McDonalds service staff at the 2004 Olympic Games.

·Lawn bowls on a Sunday morning or an Olympic opening ceremony with an audience of millions ?  The Australian attire of a green blazer and white trousers or skirt for the 2012 summer games has been criticised as being boring – but Aussie swimming sensation, Libby Trickett who was part of the design team, says the corporate uniforms are ‘formal’ but in an Australian way.

·For the 1992 games, ice skater Nancy Kerrigan’s dress was designed by renowned wedding gown stylist, Vera Wang.

·The 2012 London Olympics is the stage for the debut of the new McDonald’s staff uniforms which took 18 months to design and make, and which will have recyclable aprons as part of the new workwear.

·The ‘work wear’ for the US marathon runners…ie, their shoes… will weigh around 19% less than their previous shoes (about the weight of a car over the 40 000 steps typically taken in a marathon.

·The uniforms for the US basketball team are ‘green’ (in the environmental sense) – manufactured from recycled water bottles – 22 in each one !

So when you see the thousands of athletes in all their glory – think about the stories behind their ‘work uniforms!