Paris Olympics 2024: Malaysian designers, ex-athlete join backlash over ‘sports day’ kit
- Retired Malaysian track cyclist Josiah Ng criticises routine fail in getting the designs right for competition
Designers and a former Olympian have joined the cacophony of social media criticism to greet Malaysia's official kits for the Paris Games, with some dismayed by the "ugly" designs and others rating the collection as adequate for a school "sports day" but not the greatest show on earth.
Malaysia unveiled its attire for the Olympics last Sunday with the Yonex Sunrise Malaysia-designed black and gold theme - inspired by tiger stripes - intended to symbolise the nation's pursuit of an elusive first Olympic gold medal.
The casual collection includes tracksuits, polo shirts, and T-shirts.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
But scorn swiftly followed the launch across Malaysia's social media.
"We are going to the Olympics ... we want to promote Malaysia in the eyes of the world ... it's embarrassing to have a design that looks like a school kid's emergency outfit," Aliff Shanusi lamented on X.
"Please, there's still time to change. This looks like it was designed using Microsoft Paint from Parameswara's era," Januar Haikal added, also on X, referring to the attire.
Another called the uniform "ugly" and questioned why Malaysia's wide pool of talented designers were not brought into the design process.
Retired Malaysian track cyclist and three-time Olympian Josiah Ng Onn Lam chimed in at what he says is a routine fail when it comes to getting the designs right for competition.
"I've competed at 3 Olympics for Malaysia and there is a reason I didn't keep any of our outfits as a souvenir," he said on Instagram.
Hamidin Mohd Amin (right), the Chef de Mission of the Malaysian contingent, with Malaysian badminton player Goh Jin Wei. Photo: Facebook/Olympic Council of Malaysia
Malaysia's Chef de Mission to the Paris showpiece, Hamidin Mohd Amin, on Tuesday defended the kits and chastised the public for focusing on appearances rather than athletic performance.
"The aesthetic appeal of Malaysia's official jersey for the 2024 Paris Olympics will lose its importance unless the team secures Malaysia's first gold medal in Paris," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
"With 31 days left until the Olympics, the media and fans need to support our athletes, not question small things like this. There is no point having nice attire but not winning gold."
But a day later, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) was reportedly moved to consider revamping the collection for competing athletes with sports equipment giant Yonex. According to a source quoted by Timesport, Yonex is set to create exclusive attire specifically for the 25 athletes taking part in the Paris Games, while the rest of the contingent, including coaches, support staff, and officials, will continue to use the criticised design.
The new designs are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Malaysian graphic designers have also joined the conversation, sharing their professional critiques.
"Some of them are really nice, cool, and modern-looking, but others seem poorly designed, lacking any aesthetic appeal or care," said Issal Prakash, a 27-year-old graphic design associate.
"The good ones stand out, but the bad ones look like they were made by a school student for their sports day," she said.
Stuffed toys depicting the Phryges, the official mascot of the Paris 2024 Games, on display at the Paris 2024 official store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Thursday. The Games begin on July 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
Some were unequivocal in their criticism, while others expressed utter dismay.
"It's a disappointment for us designers to see that the attire of our Malaysian contingent for the Olympics is being ridiculed by the people," said Atiiq Azman, another graphic designer.
"As we know, our attire represents our country, especially on such a big stage as the Olympic Games. As a graphic designer myself, it is our duty to raise up the arts and design standards of our country," he added.
The dissatisfaction extended beyond the local community, drawing comments from international observers including Australian TikTok content creator Bee Jamieson who sniped that "the uniform itself looks like it's a PE uniform for a public school".
It is not the first time Malaysia's Olympic attire has faced public scrutiny. In 2012, outfits for the London Olympics also received mixed reactions, with some criticising the tiger-inspired designs.
About 10,500 athletes from more than 200 nations will compete in the Paris Olympics that begin on July 26.
More Articles from SCMP
Lost and found comfort toy tale of distraught China tourist in Spain melts hearts online
China court employs quirky arcade claw machine animation in bid to snare fugitive debtors
How can Shein remain at the top its game? Experts at Bain and Kantar offer a few tips
War of words erupts over North Korea’s multi-warhead missile test claims
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.