Team GB launches heat-resistant kit for one of the hottest Olympics on record

Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic teams will wear a heat-resistant kit emblazoned with Japanese typography for the postponed Tokyo Games.

Unveiled on Thursday morning by Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes including Max Whitlock and Olivia Breen, the new kit features a deconstructed Union flag with a bold red stripe – the Stella McCartney-designed apparel of 2012 and 2016 had been criticised for being too blue.

This year’s kit was created by Adidas’s in-house team and features what it calls HEAT.RDY technology, which the company says will keep athletes cool whilst competing in what may be “the hottest Games on record”.

Fittingly for an event taking place in the Land of the Rising Sun, the kit was unveiled at sunrise in the crow’s nest at the top of Somerset House to symbolise how athletes are rising together following a year in which the coronavirus crisis threatened the cancellation of the Games altogether.

Speaking about the launch, double Rio 2016 gold medallist Whitlock said: “It’s such a proud feeling to be unveiling the kit, especially given how hard the last year has been. The Olympic Games is a pinnacle sporting event, and I am so excited to be heading out to Tokyo wearing a kit that unites us as a team but also allows me to stand out as an individual and represent my country with pride.”

Laviai Nielson, who will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo, said: “To be unveiling the kit in my home city and at such an iconic location like Somerset House is incredibly exciting. It has felt like a long time coming to get to this moment… but what a moment it is. The new kit is amazing, and I love the fresh and contemporary design elements. I think all the athletes wearing this kit in Tokyo will feel a real sense of unity and I think it will help us to feel connected to fans watching us back at home.”

ParalympicsGB hopeful Elliot Stewart said “The last year has been filled with challenges and set-backs, but to be here at Somerset House with everyone unveiling the new kit is really special. We have all worked so hard to get to where we are now, and with Tokyo 2020 set to be a totally unique Games, we can be confident that we are putting our best feet forward in a kit that not only looks great but features the latest in innovative and sustainable technologies.”

Andy Anson, British Olympic Association chief executive said: “Despite the incredibly difficult times society has faced this year, everyone associated with Team GB has remained positive and focused, especially the athletes who have worked incredibly hard to keep their dream of going to the Tokyo Olympic Games alive.

“Today’s launch of the Adidas Team GB kit is another important step on that journey, bringing the athletes closer to realising their ambition. It’s always such an exciting moment when we see the kit for the first time and with the innovation and creative design of Adidas we have no doubt that the athletes will look and feel ready to perform in Tokyo.”

USA join Canada in having Games attire mocked

There may be plenty of ongoing uncertainty around Tokyo 2020 but at least the delayed Games remain on course with one thing: the inevitable split opinions when a country unveils its Olympic attire.

With Team GB's full range – kit by Adidas, opening ceremony wear by Ben Sherman and formal wear by Simon Jersey – not expected to be unveiled until later this month, Britons may be wise to keep their counsel until then.

But then again, when the likes of big-hitters Canada and the USA go and provide plenty of discussion points with their own choices, it's hard not to get involved...

Team USA and their astronauts...

The Americans, like their Canadian counterparts, had already launched some of their uniform earlier this year. Sporting behemoth Nike, keen to show it's athletes it too can be ahead of the field, unveiled the clothing that would be worn by athletes competing in track and field, basketball, football and skateboarding during a special event in New York in early February.

Nike was keen to especially promote the fact that a lot of the pieces were made from recycled materials, including including the podium outfits (jackets = 100 per cent re-engineered polyester, trousers = constructed using recycled nylon). The problem was that despite all the claims around sustainability, it was really, really hard to escape the serious astronaut vibes being given off.

And so when Ralph Lauren, to coincide with the 100 days to go marker, this week unveiled Team USA's outfits for the closing ceremony and Olympic Village attire, the space comparisons went into into stratosphere.

Again, the jackets are made from recycled plastic bottles and the tags on the jeans are made from plant-based leather, but that wasn't enough to keep the Twitterati from poking fun at the fact the athletes look like they're heading for space, rather than the Olympic Stadium.

Even the official Ralph Lauren launch video, with its dramatic music, had the air of space men walking out to their launch....

Others, meanwhile, drew comparisons with something a sailor might don while at sea.

Sea or space, surely there is also a concern for these poor athletes parading around over those many layers when the Games are taking place in the summer heat of Tokyo? You can bet athletes from Bermuda will be relishing the fact they will be in shorts.

Telegraph fashion verdict:

Team USA will be racking up a hefty dry cleaning bill in Tokyo this summer if its new uniforms are any indication. Ralph Lauren's all-white kit with red-and-navy trim is, as ever, smart enough for a world stage, but this year's look will be seriously high-maintenance.

Of course that's part of the appeal of all-white, which suggests the wearer is wealthy enough not to have to deal with the messy realities of life. Sure, they look a little like they're about to jet off into the stratosphere, but it looks crisp and patriotic.

Not so cool Canada

Team Canada and its long-term official outfitter Hudson’s Bay released the team kit for Tokyo 2020 in August last year but a repromotion of it for the 100 days to go marker brought it back into focus.

The official description is "not only stylish, but functional, featuring sweat-wicking, light fabrics to keep athletes cool and comfortable, no matter the weather." The 26-piece kit is also said to blend classic looks and street fashion with a Canadian twist with the "must-have piece" of the collection being the "forever cool jean jacket" designated for the closing ceremony.

When it comes to that graffiti-splashed jacket, that's a matter of opinion, surely. As for the opening ceremony bumbag – are athletes really going to wear that??

Indeed a number are not impressed, with one individual even calling for the Olympics to be cancelled, on account of crimes against fashion.

One user suggested that the only time any Canadian would choose to wear such attire would only be on Canada Day on July 1 while another sarcastically applauded the denim dedication below. (l-r: victory ceremony outfit, closing ceremony outfit, opening ceremony outfit)

Telegraph fashion verdict:

Team Canada want you to know they're the cool kids of the Olympic community. This look takes a style lead from the skate park with a graffiti-covered denim jacket and bumbag (worn across the body the way fashion types do these days). The diagonal stripes on the maple leaf may be a nod to luxury streetwear brand Off-White, too. Unfortunately, it's all trying just a little too hard, ironically the very antithesis of cool.

How do other countries compare?

Best uniforms

Italy

If you are able to get Giorgio Armani to design your attire, every other country will look on with envy. Armani has designed Italy's uniforms since the 2012 Olympics and he has created another elegant and sleek outfit that features the colours of the national flag.

Most definitely top of the class.

Japan

Host country Japan have gone with the tried and tested route, sticking with the Asics, the sports equipment manufacturer best known for its range of running shoes, after the Japanese country provided the team kit at Rio 2016.

The 2020 design will continue the use of the 'sunrise red' colour that the nation has adopted in recent years, and the Olympic and Paralympic teams will wear identical attire for the first time. Not only that but the eco-conscious Japanese will also be wearing threads made using recycled fibres.

Safe colours and environmentally safe. Well played by the hosts.

Australia

Australia have also turned to Asics as their kit supplier but gone with the less is more approach. The green and gold colours, synonymous with Australia, are of course there but there are no bold sartorial statements with this kit, with the focus instead on functionality, such as cooling fabrics, to cope with the searing heat and humidity

According to official statements, the uniform "takes from the host city with Japanese origami inspired graphics highlighted throughout."

It will also include a shirt incorporating the artwork of Indigenous artist and Olympic boxer Paul Fleming. Titled 'Walking Together', the design includes 52 sets of footsteps representing the 52 Indigenous athletes who've competed at the Olympic Games.

Worst uniforms

Russia

Simply by virtue of the fact, Russian athletes shouldn't be competing in Tokyo

Mexico

The Mexican Olympic Committee held an online vote with the public asked to choose between three possible uniforms to be worn during the opening parade. We expected a bit more flair from the Mexicans despite it being inspired by their vast culture.

The outfit is reportedly made with 'dry-fit technology and designed with stretch jogger pants and a loose fitting suit jacket for the comfort of the athletes' but it just looks very bland.

Greece

Modelled by cyclist Christos Volikakis and swimmer Kelly Araouzou, the Greek have produced a safe option for their uniform.

Unfortunately, the blue wave on the women's outfit is very unflattering while the men's blue blazer and white shirt combination belong in the 80s.