M’sian Olympic Athletes May Get New Kit Following Widespread Criticism on ‘Outdated & Ugly’ Attire

If you’ve gone online in the past few days, you’ve probably seen netizens slamming the designs of Malaysia’s official attire for the Paris Olympics and poking fun at it. Beyond that, the way that the attire was unveiled (on cheap-looking mannequins) was also roasted. It appears that criticism has brought about change as The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) is considering unveiling an improved version of the attire.

As reported by NST, a source told Timesport that OCM is working with sports equipment company Yonex to design new attire exclusively for Malaysian athletes heading for the Paris Olympics.

OCM is currently in discussions with Yonex to produce exclusive attire for athletes. A limited number will be produced for the athletes only, which totals approximately 25 members. Other members of the contingent, including coaches, support staff, and officials, will continue to use the original design.

Disappointing outfits

Many Malaysians were furious over how bad the outfits were, and the news was covered by numerous outlets, including the Singaporean news channel Channel News Asia.

The outfits were unveiled during an Olympic Day event at The Exchange TRX in KL on June 23. Mannequins displaying the attire were wrapped in black cloth and unveiled to reveal gold-themed outfits with tiger stripe designs.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister (KBS) Hannah Yeoh took to Twitter to clarify that the attire’s design resulted from a collaboration between sports company Yonex Sunrise and OCM.

Pakaian Rasmi Kontinjen Malaysia ke Temasya Pelbagai Sukan adalah di bawah tanggungjawab Majlis Olimpik Malaysia @olympicmas. Ini merupakan hasil kerjasama antara Yonex dan @olympicmas dan ia di luar bidang kuasa @KBSMalaysia @MSNMALAYSIA. pic.twitter.com/A0qY9Rqm27
— Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) June 24, 2024

Chef de Mission Hamidin Mohamad Amin has also acknowledged the criticism and said that the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) may open opportunities for the public to contribute their designs for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

There was also criticism over the fact that the flag on the outfits was in gold instead of the Jalur Gemilang’s original red, blue, yellow, and white. However, Hamidin has clarified that it represented the logo of the OCM, not the Malaysian flag.

Image Credit: Olympic Council of Malaysia

Netizens’ take

Netizens compared the attire to those from other countries, including France, Japan, Canada, and even our southern neighbours Thailand saying “ALL THESE ARE FRIGGIN FASHION SHOWS. WE ARE A JOKE AT THIS POINT.”

“The biggest mistake in this design is the Malaysian flag. Why is the Malaysian flag in such a colour? We will be wearing these clothes at the Olympics. You have to use a proper flag so that the world will know Malaysia… Look at the previous outfit,” said another.

An infuriated X user commented, “The attire for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was like a tiger (Malaysia’s national animal). The one for the Paris Olympics is like the Oyen cat (a charming stray cat which was first found at Zoo Negara). You would think that the designs would be upgraded, but instead, they have been downgraded.”

Some Malaysians even took it upon themselves to create their own designs:

Even this AI-generated one looks better:

Another X user even shared a clip of Team Canada’s attire by Lululemon was revealed. It seemed like a proper fashion show and even included breakdancing (and a cute dog!).

Team Canada X Lululemon.So basically untuk Olympics dia akan ada few attires:1. Opening ceremony2. Podium3. Media4. Closing ceremonyMungkin Malaysia belum habis reveal semua uniform la kot. Just give benefit of the doubt. pic.twitter.com/A0bhKXKWwl
— Januar Haikal (@Januarhaikal) June 24, 2024

What do you think of this issue? Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: x.com/khalidkarim, facebook.com/Olympic.Council.Malaysia