Ready or not, pandemic or no pandemic, the Olympics are here. They will postpone the start for one year, no fans will be present, some athletes choose to stay at home, and the host city is in a state of emergency due to the surge in coronavirus cases, but the Tokyo Olympics will still begin on Friday, July 23. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Start at 7 am Eastern Time.
From a unified perspective—not to mention a unified evaluation perspective—the Olympics always bring some challenges. We usually think that the way sports uniforms are designed is that they should stand the test of time and can last for several years if not decades. But the Olympics takes a few weeks. Some events are only a few days, and some athletes may only appear once. Therefore, the design of uni is often flashy, and at the moment, they will occupy it in order to direct the stage time in a short time. If the design looks outdated in a year or two, then the idea is, who cares? Just launch another set for the next Olympic Games.
With this framework in mind-and we pray that no one will bring home the gold for super spread-here are 10 uni-related storylines that need to be closely watched during the Olympics, as well as some respectable mentions.
For any summer Olympics, the first thing everyone wants to know is how the American men's basketball team wears on the hard court. This year's design is simple and clear, with good visual effects, and the blue design looks particularly sharp. As always, the players’ jersey numbers range from No. 4 to No. 15. This is the standard for international competitions, but for the No. 10 Kobe Bryant previously wore in the Olympics, it has a special meaning. This year, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (Jayson Tatum) will wear it. He admired Kobe as he grew up and is happy to be able to wear his US team number.
The U.S. men’s national team failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, so the burden of maintaining the glory of American football fell on the women’s team (the same is true because they are clearly a better and more exciting team). Although their standard white home jerseys are unobtrusive, they are still solid, but their away jerseys (pictured above), which they have been wearing in a series of pre-Olympic exhibition games, are more dazzling than eye candy. Kit clothing maker Nike said that the red/navy blue stripe pattern should be reminiscent of a flying flag, but it feels more like a jagged mixture of colliding stripes, which looks particularly awkward from the side and back. I hope they will wear white jerseys in most games in Tokyo. (Want a better looking women's football team? Your friendly uniform columnist suggested Nigeria.)
Since 2008, Ralph Lauren has been making costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the US team. This means that we will accept the biennial objections, they say these clothes are too academic, too white, too corporatized, and so on. Are these criticisms legitimate? Of course-take a look at this year’s Closing Ceremony costume (pictured above), it looks just like what you see at the local yacht club, as does the Opening Ceremony costume (although it’s worth noting that they will have an internal "Air"-air conditioning system" to help athletes fight the heat and humidity in Tokyo). But complaining that Ralph Lauren is too academic is like complaining that water is wet-it comes with the package. Look, this is the deal: the opening ceremony and The closing ceremony is a stupid but harmless ceremony, mainly for the delivery of goods, mainly viewed by people who think that the Olympics is a lifestyle activity rather than a sporting event. This is why Lauren’s designs always appear on The Today Show, and Not showing up on SportsCenter. Ignore all the fuss and wait for the real game to start. (Want to see what the US team wore at the opening ceremony of the pre-Lauren era? Look here.)
From 1996 to 2008, the Australian women's basketball team known as Opals wore one-piece leotards instead of more traditional tank tops and shorts. For better or worse, no other country replicates this look, so Australians have everything. The bodysuit was abandoned in 2012, but it is back this year because the current players of Opals want to dress like the players they admired since childhood. Traditionalists will howl, but the all-in-one uni provides a stylish, dynamic look. The full details are here.
American sprinter Noah Lyles is the 200-meter world champion. In many recent competitions, including the U.S. Olympic team trials last month, he has been delivering the message that "the life of black people is also life". Wearing fingerless black gloves, raise the gloved fist during the pre-match presentation. He is one of many athletes who may use the Olympics as a forum to protest social justice, which is an increasingly difficult topic. According to the newly released Olympic guidelines, athletes can "express their opinions" before and after the competition but not during the competition, although some athletes have stated that they may test the limits of these rules. What should I pay attention to.
Telfar Clemens designed Liberian uniforms for the Tokyo Olympics. They are incredible. 📸 Jason Nocito pic.twitter.com/lMNBx7yAX3
If your Olympic team has only five track and field athletes, how can you win some attention for your country? If you are in Liberia, you can hire Telfar Clemens, a Liberian Asian American designer who has been a celebrity in the fashion industry for the past few years, to outfit your team. Technically, this is not the first time Clemens has ventured into the universe, as he recently designed a new uniform for the White Castle burger chain, but this is the first time he has designed a sports uniform or any type of performance costume, and he seems to have leaned towards it. . As he told the New York Times last month, "They said,'Go crazy', and I did that." He created 70 items for the team, including jerseys, sportswear, duffel bags and The spikes, all of which reflect his unique design style.
Four sports will make their debut in the Olympics this year-sports climbing, skateboarding, surfing and karate-so look forward to seeing some new faces there. The American team’s hiking suits (pictured above) are produced by outdoor clothing brand The North Face and look beautiful and stylish (more information here), while some skateboard designs are not so stylish (more here and here) information):
Nike launched skateboard uniforms for the 2020 Olympics: the United States, Brazil and France. pic.twitter.com/GRtqQlDQzy
Technically speaking, Russian athletes are not allowed to wear the national flag on the Olympic team uniforms. In fact, they will not even represent Russia, but the Republic of China (short for "Russian Olympic Committee"), and their national anthem will not be played at any medal ceremony. This is part of a series of doping sanctions confirmed earlier this year. However, although the national flag may be prohibited from appearing on uniforms, the uni design uses bold color stripes, undoubtedly imitating the Russian flag. As ROC prexy Stanislav Pozdnyakov said at the university opening ceremony earlier this year, “You don’t really need to have a strong imagination. On the uniforms you see, our national flag is really very, very obvious. ." Sneaky.
If you watch any swimming competitions, please pay attention to black contestants. Some of them (such as British swimmer Alice Dearing, pictured above) want to wear Soul Cap, a product designed for black swimmers with Afros or other bushy hairstyles. But the FINA, the international governing body for swimming, banned the use of the soul cap because it "is not suitable for the natural form of the head." After the decision caused widespread opposition, FINA said it would review its decision. As of press time, this situation is still changing-so stay tuned.
Runners wearing Nike’s latest dragonfly shoes have recently set so many records that runners sponsored by other footwear companies are beginning to worry that they will be at a competitive disadvantage. Therefore, in the U.S. Olympic track team trials last month (pictured above), runners sponsored by Reebok, Brooks, and On actually obtained permission to wear Nike shoes—these companies defaulted that their shoes could not match Swoosh. compete. Therefore, if you see runners wearing shoes that don’t seem to be branded, they are most likely Nike shoes with a black swoosh logo.
Paul Lukas (Paul Lukas) launches a series of Uni watch pins every month, the current version is based on the Olympic Games. If you like this article, you may like his Uni Watch blog. In addition, you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, check his podcasts, and sign up for his mailing list, so you won’t miss any of his future InsideHook column. Want to learn about his Uni Watch membership program, check his Uni Watch merchandise, or just ask him a question? Contact him here.
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