PETALING JAYA: The Olympic Games-bound athletes will be literally dressed for success, promises the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria (pic).
Yesterday, Norza said the attire for the athletes will be redesigned after receiving flak for its look by the public.
The national team’s outfit was unveiled last weekend, but the gold-themed attire with tiger stripes, which were meant to reflect the country’s hunger for gold, was met with severe criticism online with many calling it “ugly” and “cheap-looking”.
In a bid to appease the fans and to put the national interest first, Norza said OCM would work with Yonex to improve the existing design to reflect Malaysia’s status and meet the public’s expectations.
“It will be done as soon as possible. We will work with Yonex on the matter as we have a good relationship with them. The national interest is paramount,” he said.
When asked whether there would be additional cost in making the changes, he said: “I’ve no comment on it as it’s premature at this time. We are focusing on improving it.”
“OCM have decided to improve the design to clearly symbolise the tiger motif on the jackets and the coloured OCM logo to honour the Jalur Gemilang,” he said.
He also clarified that the Olympic rings on the outfits had to be in single colour as the iconic multi-coloured ring design can only be used with a white background, as per conditions set by the International Olympic Com–mittee (IOC).
“If the background is black, then the logo must be in a contrasting colour such as white, yellow, or blue.
“The original intention of the design with a gold and black theme was considered the most accurate way to reflect the Malaysian aspiration to bring home their first gold medal,” he said.
Norza said OCM practice an open policy.
“OCM express their utmost gratitude to all stakeholders and sports fans who have shown concern about the launch event and the design of the official attire for the Malaysian contingent by providing constructive criticism and suggestions,” said Norza.
“We hope that all Malaysians will join in praying for the national contingent’s success with full spirit and unity, as demonstrated in providing feedback on the official attire.”
He also explained that each design cycle for the national team starts at the SEA Games and ends with the Olympics.
“Such as the design for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, which was used until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The design for the Malaysian contingent will go through a new cycle starting with the 2025 Thailand SEA Games until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” he said.
For Los Angeles, OCM have decided to give fans the opportunity to design the national team outfits.
