ASICS and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) have revealed the Australian Olympic Team delegation and competition uniforms for Tokyo 2020.
Australian Olympians and Tokyo 2020 hopefuls including Charlotte Caslick, Henry Hutchison and Maurice Longbottom (Rugby Sevens) Jake Birtwhistle (Triathlon), Katie Ebzery (Basketball), Lisa Darmanin (Sailing), Aidan “AJ” Roach (Water Polo), Marina Carrier (Modern Pentathlon), Lucy Stephan (Rowing) and Tom O’Halloran (Sport Climbing) presented the ASICS uniforms to be worn during the Games starting this July, in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Design and development of the ASICS uniform began in 2018 and has seen over 125,000 units of apparel and footwear produced for what could be Australia’s largest ever Olympic Team for a Games outside of Australia, with an expected Team of around 480 athletes across more than 30 sports, as well as coaching and support staff.
The range features iconic Australian green and gold colour schemes with Japanese origami inspired graphics highlighted throughout, designed to express the power and pride of the Australian team.
The ASICS Tokyo 2020 uniform range includes a shirt incorporating a design by Indigenous artist and Olympian Boxer, Paul Fleming. Titled ‘Walking Together’, the design includes footsteps representing the 52 Indigenous athletes who have competed at an Olympic Games and a central meeting place signifying the Olympics bringing together people from all countries, backgrounds and cultures.
In developing the uniform, the ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS) considered the heat and humidity which athletes will face in Tokyo and developed a cooling print, strategically placed mesh and technical fabrics to overcome the conditions. The technical mesh is placed in high heat zones which were identified through the (ISS) testing phase. The cooling print is applied to the interior of garments and causes a cooling sensation upon contact with sweat. The raised print creates a gap between the skin and the fabric so that the garment does not stick to the athlete, enabling air flow to cool the athlete.
Aligning to ASICS’ corporate sustainability targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 38% in direct operations by 2030, 30 percent of the AOC range is made from recycled polyester.
Rugby 7s athlete Charlotte Caslick said: “We’ve been working towards the Tokyo Games for five years now and we’re excited to finally take our preparations into what is the pinnacle sporting event in the world. We’ve made it through a few obstacles to get to this point but we’ve been training hard and we have a uniform that will allow us to perform at our best.”
Managing director ASICS Oceania, Mark Brunton said: “ASICS has put an extensive amount of work, detail and focus into the design and development of the Australian Olympic Team uniforms, to ensure the athletes representing at the highest level feel they can perform at their best. We look forward to seeing the Australian team wear the green and gold and proudly representing our country on the world’s biggest stage.”
Ian Chesterman, Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020 said: “ASICS have been a fantastic partner, working with our Olympic sports and athletes to develop this world class uniform. ASICS have an incredible Olympic pedigree, being at the forefront of athlete-focused sporting technology for over 70 years. We’re fortunate that they are now assisting our athletes, bringing their passion for high performance and excellence to our Team, to help our athletes have their best day on their biggest day in Tokyo.”
