Ever wonder why the Olympic athletes’ uniforms look like they do? Has the thought of “who in their right mind would put on the smallest banana hammock ever and then jump off the high dive” crossed your mind? Ours too. That’s why we’re bringing you today’s five things to know about Olympic athletes’ uniforms.
Sparkles and spandex,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five things to know about Olympic uniforms
- Looking preppy and prepared, Ralph Lauren has designed the Opening Ceremony uniforms for Team U.S.A. for the past five Olympics. The entirely Made in America attire that included boat shoes and blazers would cost more than $1,400 if purchased. (Yes, each piece is for sale in Ralph Lauren stores).
- Under Armour has a leotard deal with U.S.A. gymnastics through Tokyo in 2020. Although Team U.S.A is sponsored by Nike therefore the girls (and all U.S.A. athletes) wear their Nike gear on the medal stand.
- Let’s talk diving. Why the really small suits for the men but one pieces for the women? According to uniwatch.com, the men don’t want a lot of fabric mostly because they might get caught in the material while doing their tricks. Women dive in a one piece over a two piece simply for looks; because a two piece would break their line and not be as aesthetically pleasing. The design isn’t as much about no splash - that’s more about hand positioning.
- Aqua Sphere partnered with Michael Phelps to develop his “MP” line for this year’s Olympics. An interesting move since he’s been with Speedo since age 15 but he’s winning so it must be working. Phelps also has a deal with Under Armour said to be worth $5 million for three years. Their partnership also brought us this incredible commercial featuring Phelps.
- Where did the rubberized full body swimsuit go? The suit was outlawed after 43 world records were broken. Apparently they were too fast. FINA (Swimming Federation) now restricts the coverage of men’s suits from the waist up and set maximum coverage restrictions for women.
- Extra credit - Ancient Olympians competed naked. My how things have changed.
Summer Olympics
- Golden girls. U.S.A. women’s gymnastics team, the self-proclaimed “Final Five,” had been touted as the best team in American history and they lived up to the hype. The girls brought home the gold with the biggest margin of victory (over eight points) since the current scoring system was enacted in 2006.
- Don’t poke the bear. While we were eating Oreos on the couch, Michael Phelps won two gold medals in an hour last night. Phelps avenged his loss in the 200-meter butterfly in London to South African swimmer Chad le Clos. Le Clos had been taunting Phelps over the past few days (see #PhelpsFace) but Phelps let him know who was numero uno in the pool. (For the record, le Clos didn’t even medal). Phelps then hit the pool again to win another gold in the 4x200 freestyle relay race.
- Work it ladies. U.S.A. women’s soccer tied Columbia yesterday. The tie was good enough to win their group and advance to quarterfinals against Sweden on Friday.
- Sorry Serena. Rio has not been kind to Serena Williams. First she and her sister, Venus, lost in doubles and yesterday she lost in straight sets (i.e. not good) to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Williams is out of the Olympic competition.
Overtime
- Former NFL (National Football League) quarterback and all-around great guy Tim Tebow announced that he is attempting to make a career in MLB (Major League Baseball). Tebow will be trying out for MLB teams later this month, convinced he can play at an elite level. Tebow is a talented athlete and was a great ballplayer in high school but that was 11 years ago. Stay tuned to see how this turns out.
Sideline stat
- The Team U.S.A gymnastics leotards have a record breaking 5,000 Swarovski crystals each. If bought off the rack they would cost $1,200 a piece. Somewhere out there someone is thinking “buy a new leotard or a wedding dress?” Same price, far less material.
Coaches’ Corner
- The women’s gymnastics team has dubbed themselves the “Final Five.” Why? Well this team is the last team to work with legend Martha Karolyi. Karolyi is retiring after 15 years as the national-team coordinator where she has seen many of her gymnasts win gold. Martha and her husband, Bela, have been involved with Team U.S.A. gymnastics for 35 years.
Rio is also the last Olympics where we will see five-member gymnastics teams. In Tokyo each team will have only four members. Therefore, this will be the last five-member U.S.A. gymnastics team to win gold.