From reposts of victories, to tweets about ‘qualities’ that stopped pole vaulter Arnaud from getting the Gold, the Olympics have been blessing our screens all summer. While the Olympics are a chance for nations to showcase the very best of their athletes, it’s also a chance for renowned clothing brands and fashion designers to try their hand at sports attire. However, where certain uniforms are fit for an Olympian, others end up looking more like a middle school PE kit.

As far as the opening ceremony goes, Team USA falls extremely short, a fact that is disappointing considering the excellence of the country’s athletes. The Ralph Lauren blazers and jeans worn by the flag bearers as they rode their packed bateau mouche down the Seine, in an image certain American media outlet have compared to Emanuel Leutze’s George Washington Crossing the Delaware, aren’t giving Olympian realness so much as ‘2020 Zoom business meeting.’

Team Australia’s opening ceremony outfits also fell victim to the work-from-home semi-casual curse, pairing green Sportscraft blazers over white t-shirts and beige chinos or yellow skirts. While there is nothing specifically wrong with this business-top/casual-bottom look, when placed next to the intricately designed Mongolian vests by Michel & Amazonka or Team India’s simple yet elegant saris sporting their flag’s colors, it leaves much to be desired.

As far as opening ceremony uniforms go, the lack of a clear dress code or guidelines meant that, while some countries attempted elegance or formal attire, others went a far more casual route, something that made their uniforms pale in comparison. Such is the case for Canada’s Lululemon collaboration, which had its athletes waving their flag in red jackets and athletic shorts, or Team GB’s pale blue and white tracksuit, which felt out of place despite it objectively being succinct and well-designed.

Luckily, other countries such as Haiti, Kazakhstan, or South Sudan made sure to show their athletes at their very best. Haiti’s uniforms, designed by Stella Jean, aimed to show the artistic and cultural richness of the country, blending art by Haitian painter Philippe Doddard and clothing inspired by guayaberas worn by local men.

The effectiveness of South Sudan’s opening ceremony uniforms, on the other hand, comes from the fact that the all-black blazers and trousers with gold buttons designed by Moshions had the Sudanese athletes ‘dripped out,’ reaching a level of effortless swagger that very few other countries achieved during the opening ceremony.

No talk of Olympic uniforms would be complete without looking at the athletic clothing worn throughout the competition, and it seems impossible to start without mentioning Team USA’s gymnastics uniforms, which deserve their very own mention. Designed by GK Elite, the gymnasts wore a dazzling display of red, white, and blue. Though some of their uniforms come off aggressively patriotic, adorned with stars and stripes, they’re excused purely because of the stunning red leotard Simone Biles wore as she took home her third gold of the Games.

However, as of the strict regulations put in place regarding sporting uniforms for the less artistic sports, a handful of them still managed to cement themselves as iconic. Perhaps one of the most memorable cases of this is the kit worn by Jamaican runners. Few countries have been quite as memorable in their color palettes as the green, yellow, and black forever associated with Usain Bolt, and the kits designed by Puma at the 2024 Olympics are no different. While, when originally revealed, some commented that certain female running kits seemed fit for the pool rather than the racetrack, it was still met with overwhelming support from its own country, support that can definitely be seconded on the international stage.

Speaking of swimsuits, the uniforms worn during the artistic swimming competition were some of the best of the Games. From the masks and orange suits used by Team France to the bursts of color used in every Team Mexico routine, artistic swimming was the opportunity for each team uniform to showcase a creativity that very few had previously displayed.

Despite a number of fashion controversies that made the rounds in the weeks leading up to the Games (I’m looking at you, Nike Team USA high-cut running thong), the Olympics were a beautiful blend of beauty, practicality, and originality, something that is more than fitting for a competition held in one of the world’s fashion capitals.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons