The Czech Republic will also be there with its traditional blueprint design and fans, which has already become the target of some jokes, writes the AP agency.
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The Czechia is thus continuing the flashy umbrellas and neon blue boots at the London Olympics in 2012 and the striped jackets during the Rio de Janeiro Games four years later.
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Israeli athletes will have transparent nylon jackets with huge pockets, while the Emporio Armani brand has dressed the Italian team in tracksuits with the motif of the Japanese rising sun in the colors of the Italian flag.
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Liberia then received a gift from designer Telfar Clemens, a lavish Liberian American who produces sought-after bags.
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In the past, it was much easier for athletes to do fashion. At the beginning, there was no parade or opening ceremony. The athletes wore what they wanted. And they often went with equipment that belongs to their sport.
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“It wasn’t a big deal in the beginning,” said David Wallechinsky, a member of the executive board and former head of the International Society of Olympic Historians.
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Medal hope, climber Adam Ondra.
Photo: archive of the Czech Olympic Committee
“People were just coming. If the team wanted to dress in a similar way, it did, ”adds Wallechinsky, who discovered, for example, archival footage of British curlers from 1924, who performed with raised brooms at a parade during the Olympic Games in Chamonix, France.
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In the beginning, the choice of clothes was completely voluntary. In ancient Greece, athletes often raced naked. In modern times, the parade of uniforms often pays homage to the host country. This year, the pandemic brought another element: masks.
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Australia offers athletes a sand-colored jacket with the names of 320 Australian Olympic winners on the lining.
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The Canadian Olympic team teamed up with Levi’s for the closing ceremony to create a denim jacket with Japanese street art motifs to complement the white denim pants.
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Alison Brown, presenter of the podcast for Olympic fans called Keep the Flame Alive, believes that equipping Olympic teams, including those competing in the Paralympics, is not easy.
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The fan is part of the collection.
Photo: archive of the Czech Olympic Committee
“She has to adapt to all types of characters. Imagine small gymnasts, stout weightlifters and tall basketball players. They have to express something about the nation, pay homage to the host, be serious enough for the festive occasion, but at the same time practical to be comfortable for hours spent in the heat, ”Brown warns.
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The presenter can be considered a fan of Czech clothing by designer Zuzana Osako. The men in it will be in blue vests and white trousers, the women in blue blouses and white skirts.
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“They managed to combine elements of the Czech folk tradition, traditional Japanese techniques of indigo dyeing and homage to the great Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská. At the same time, the clothes are wearable and comfortable in the heat, “said Brown.
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She said of Canadian denim jackets: “I think I was wearing something similar in 1987. I wonder if anyone over the age of 12 really wants to wear it.”
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Lucia Kinghorn of Hudson’s Bay, which participated in Canadian Olympic clothing, is aware of the contempt. “We have a lot of opponents, but even more fans,” she said.
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“We are proud of the thoughtful clothing design of Team Canada and we are glad that so many people are talking about it,” she added.
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Brown isn’t too thrilled with the American team’s clothes either. It includes blue denim pants for the opening parade and white jeans for the closing ceremony.
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“The US stayed with the same designer – Ralph Lauren – as for several years, which led to another yachting appearance. I’m yawning, ”she commented on the collection.
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“It is expected to be very hot in Tokyo. Jeans, knit top, scarf and jacket? Who would want to wear jeans in such heat and humidity? ” she added.
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The Japanese collection refers to the clothing worn by the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, when athletes wore red jackets and white trousers. This year, the colors have changed.
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Barbora Seemanová
Photo: archive of the Czech Olympic Committee
But Brown’s most popular collection so far is the clothing of the Mexican expedition. The Mexican Olympic Committee held a national vote on the Internet, in which people chose from three designs of athletes’ clothing for the opening ceremony.
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The winning design pays tribute to the state of Oaxaca in the form of one colorful lapel jacket. “The blazer contains one floral lapel in traditional Zapotec embroidery. He’s so beautiful without his costume, ”says Brown.
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Entire collections for sale to consumers are built on what Olympic athletes wear during the opening ceremonies.
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“It’s a great time for these brands to show their team spirit and innovation in new technologies,” concludes Ted Stafford, who works for Men’s Health and Esquire magazines.
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This applies, for example, to the cooling unit that Ralph Lauren built into the white denim jacket for the flag bearers of the American expedition.
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This time the collection lacks a jacket. In the photo swimmer Jan Micka
Photo: archive of the Czech Olympic Committee
