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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

National pride displayed in Olympic apparel

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Although an athlete is officially an Olympian when his or her name is announced, I imagine it begins to feel real once the uniforms come into play. Athletes grow up watching their favorite Olympians wearing the coveted attire made exclusively for those representing their homeland.

Whether it’s on a leotard, a swim cap or compression shorts, the signature rings of the games and the name of one’s country displayed across a uniform is an athlete’s proof that he or she has really made it.

Every country seemed to take representation through clothing seriously at the 2016 games. Nations boldly flaunted their pride in every ceremony outfit and competition uniform.

The United States definitely showed its patriotism loud and proud. All of the American athletes could be seen wearing uniforms in varying shades of red, white and blue, but it didn’t end there.

The precision in the opening and closing ceremonies outfits for the American Olympians seemed to be especially important.

All 555 competitors were decked out in Ralph Lauren. Selecting this brand to dress the U.S. team was a thought-out choice. The company takes pride in being the world’s premier American lifestyle brand that continues to thrive after 49 years.

What takes it a step further is that the brand’s website prominently advertised that all of the clothing for the ceremonies was manufactured in the U.S. from start to finish.

When it came to the design for dressing the team, outfits were fairly straightforward with red, white and blue striped long-sleeve T-shirts and a navy blue blazer for the opening ceremony. Uniforms for specific events followed a similar scheme and drew from traditional motifs.

The U.S. wasn’t the only nation to use a famous brand that originated within the country. Sweden also teamed up with the massive Swedish corporation H&M. The company was a great choice to dress Sweden, because it’s easily one of the most successful companies to come out of the country and has been in business since 1947.

However, Sweden differed from the U.S. in how the country’s athletes were dressed.

H&M made sure the athletes looked fashion-forward during the opening ceremony with bright canary yellow jackets and dresses for the women. The Swedish men wore bold tracksuits made in multiple shades of blue with touches of yellow to symbolize the color of the flag in a not-so-conventional way.

When it came to competition uniforms, creativity seemed a little limited compared to the outfits worn at the ceremonies. However, gymnastics was an exception, and we saw some of the most outrageous and imaginative leotards on athletes in Rio.

Japan took an especially interesting approach with their leotards. While their flag is a simple white background and a large red circle in the center, the leotards were far from basic.

As Japan took the stage in the gymnastics team finals, the uniforms drew from an aspect exclusive to the country’s heritage. While most countries take the chance to show off their flag, the team instead wore pink leotards covered in countless crystals with a large white flower. The nontraditional approach resembled the cherry blossom, a popular Japanese flower.

Although the country didn’t place, Japan took home the gold medal when it comes to originality in a uniform.

While the Olympics are first and foremost known for sports, there is a bigger picture to consider. Every four years comes a time for countries to come together and celebrate unity, as well as an opportunity to display pride in one’s own nation through action, speech and even attire.

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