The volunteer uniforms for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games were unveiled today with the clothing paying tribute to the city's architecture here in the West Midlands.
More than 14,000 people have been recruited to help run the Games, which are set to be the largest multi-sport event in Britain since the London 2012 Olympics.
The colour scheme is also a striking orange and grey that is intended to catch the eye of people attending the Games.
"The colour is bright Balti orange, we wanted something that was really summery and bright," Birmingham 2022 uniforms manager Max Jimminson told insidethegames, at the launch here in Birmingham.
"It has to be visible of course, we want it to be noticeable so people can see that colour and know that they can get help from that person.
"The gradient from the orange down into the grey at the bottom has that vibrant feel to it.
The uniform features patterns from the Library of Birmingham, which is the largest public library in Europe, and is inspired by design of the city's Grand Central and Bullring building.
"There are a few different patterns on it," said Jimminson.
"You have that lovely wave shape that you can see going through the front of the garment that you get on all three of the tops.
"That symbolises the volunteer journey as there are all of those waves travelling alongside each other.
"The shape of it is based on some of the architecture around the city, so if you take the outline of that wave you will see the silhouette of the Bullring so it is a really nice nod to Birmingham's architecture.
"Then you see the triangles.
"The triangles are unmistakeably Birmingham 2022, we have triangle branding on everything.
"We want it to be consistent through the uniform but there are also the lovely circular patterns from the library which is another take from the architecture of the city."
A polo shirt, gilet, waterproof jacket, and flat cap have been released in addition to a pair of lightweight grey trousers which feature the Birmingham 2022 logo on the back of the leg.
This is again done intentionally to help people locate the volunteers.
From the beginning phase of creating the uniforms all the way through to producing them, a budget of around £2 million ($2.6 million/€2.3 million) was set for Jimminson's team.
He claims that the budget has not been exceeded and that despite challenges, mainly caused by COVID-19 restrictions, they have managed to achieve the goal in accordance with the given timeframe and financial limitations.
"From the get-go, everyone is clear on how much money is available and how much time is available.
"There is no real deviating from that because ultimately it can't change, there's not much room for manoeuvring."
In keeping with Birmingham 2022's goal of supporting local communities, design students from the city have worked with the Organising Committee to help create the uniforms.
They were produced by Coleshill-based company Incorporatewear, which has ensured that the production process was as sustainable as possible with any excess material to be made into sports bibs for local schools and clubs.
For the workwear provider, the opportunity of working on a major event is thought to be far more beneficial than any revenue that will be generated although it is thought to be a lucrative deal for the company.
"It is all about having the fact that we supplied the Commonwealth Games on the CV," said Incorporatewear managing director Ed Grigg.
"To be able to go to potential customers and say to them, 'that's what we can produce at a major event' will be fantastic.
"I think we will get far more value from that than the revenue.
"Being involved is great in itself, it is just about how we can leverage that to get more business."
In total there are due to be approximately 50,000 staff at the Games, scheduled for July 28 to August 8, including the 14,000 volunteers.
The Organising Committee has led a mass recruitment operation from the host city to select the perfect candidates.
"We launched the programme in June, over 60,000 people started the application process, 42,000 finished that, and then we invited 25,000 or so people to come here to the Library of Birmingham," said Birmingham 2022 director of workforce and volunteering, Andrew Newman.
"We interview every single one of them in person and in the last few weeks we have been cascading those offers to the 14,000 people that we want to be a part of the Commonwealth Collective."
Birmingham is set to be the third English host of the Commonwealth Games following the Manchester 2002 event and London 1934, when it was known as the British Empire Games.
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Owen Lloyd is a junior reporter at insidethegames.biz, having joined the team in 2021. Lloyd has previously worked with Badminton England at the All England Open Badminton Championships, covered the 2019 General Election and hosted a radio show on local station Voice FM. He graduated from Solent University in 2021 with a 2:1 in sports journalism, where his final project examined diversity in rowing.
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Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10
For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody.
insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.
Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since.
As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport.
Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit.
The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.
Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10 - it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.