KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — The Thailand Paris Olympics Games 2024 official kit is not getting a great reception, judging from online reactions.
Prominent in the kit is a blue jacket, created by Thai sportswear manufacturer Grand Sport, made from recycled plastic bottles.
Thais online are harshly criticising the jacket’s design, calling it outdated when compared to other countries.
However, Thailand’s prime minister Srettha Thavisin has taken to Facebook to defend their new threads, saying that the design was inspired by patterns from the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site in Udon Thani, which was named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1992.
“This sports uniform is more than just clothing, but also represents a fusion of the past and a sustainable future, and inspires the new generation to realise the value of Thai culture and move forward steadily,” he said.
The prime minister then added in his post: “I would like to invite all Thai brothers and sisters to join in sending encouragement to our athletes who will bring both their sporting abilities and the beauty of Thai culture to the Olympic stage this time,” he wrote on his post.
Aside from Thailand, the Malaysian Olympic Team attire was also met with similar reactions from social media users following its unveiling on June 24 by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
Sports fans on social media expressed displeasure with the laughable design which they claimed to be a little “backward and uninspiring” compared to the previous official attire of the national contingent.
Following the backlash, OCM has since selected a new design featuring fiercer-looking tiger stripes on the official attire of the national contingent.
OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the new design features a black background with more prominent and larger yellow tiger stripes on the front and back of the jacket.
Meanwhile, for the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony, the national team are set to don baju Melayu-inspired attire crafted by Malaysian fashion label Rizman Ruzaini which is expected to be unveiled next Wednesday (July 24).