Malaysia unveils 'fiercer-looking' Olympic kit design after criticism, apology over 'cheap-looking' outfits
The improvements come after the original design came under fire for being "ugly", uninspired or outdated.
The new Malaysian Olympic contingent outfit design. (Image: Olympic Council of Malaysia)
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) on Tuesday (Jul 2) unveiled what it called a "fiercer-looking" design for the country's official Paris Games attire.
The reworked look featured more prominent tiger stripes in black and yellow on both sides of the jacket.
The change to the outfit was made following "mixed feedback" on the previous tiger motif design, which was seen as not striking enough, OCM president Mohamad Norza Zakaria said in a media statement.
Other changes include the OCM logo now featuring a fluttering Malaysian national flag accompanied by the five Olympic rings, replacing the previous gold emblem.
Yonex Sunrise Malaysia - the official attire sponsor for the Malaysian contingent for the past 10 years - had given the council special permission to print and produce the jackets with different manufacturer fabrics.
It also permitted the omission of the Yonex or YY logo, which were not included due to time constraints, said Mohamad Norza.
The improvements come after the original design came under fire for being "cheap-looking", "ugly", uninspired or outdated.
MANNEQUINS
The unveiling of the full line on Jun 23 - which included tracksuits, polo shirts and T-shirts - was also done with mannequins, prompting unhappiness among some sports fans.
Footage of the ceremony, held at an upmarket mall in Kuala Lumpur, showed the mannequins first wrapped in black cloth, with the fabric later removed following a countdown. Celebratory music and a smattering of applause could be heard.
A Facebook post about the event by the council attracted dozens of negative comments, with some calling the look “extremely shameful” and “hideous”.
An OCM official later admitted that it was a mistake to use mannequins to showcase the kits.
The council announced on Jun 28 that it would improve the widely-panned design to better bring out the tiger motif on the jackets. The council's logo would also be revised to better reflect the Malaysian flag.
Regarding the gold collared T-shirt, Mohamad Norza said the same design and motif would be retained but with the OCM logo changed to the colours of the Malaysian national flag as "a mark of respect".
“OCM believes that this new design symbolises the tiger spirit, which has become the identity of the Malaysian contingent since it was first introduced at the Southeast Asian Games in Manila in 2005.
"It is the hope of OCM ... that the tiger spirit will inspire the national athletes to roar in the city of Paris,” he said.
