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Subtle arrow patterns are a fascinating detail of the kit the Australian Olympic team will be wearing at the Paris Games, as revealed at Sydney’s Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on Thursday.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and ASICS, the AOC’s performance footwear and apparel partner, unveiled the Australian team delegation and competition uniforms at the iconic landmark just under five months out from the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, taking place on July 26.
Each sport’s version of the uniform features green and gold colour schemes, an Indigenous print and arrow patterns known as Japonism yagasuri.
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The yagasuri feature is a link to ASICS’ Japanese heritage and, reflective of an arrow, symbolises forward momentum, which Australia’s Olympians will be hoping to have en route to and during the Paris Games.
In attendance at the unveiling of the uniforms at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair were Australian athletes Lydia Williams, Kelsey-Lee Barber, Izzi Batt-Doyle, Brandon Starc, Maurice Longbottom, Charlotte Caslick, Eddie Ockenden, Mariah Williams, Eileen Cikamatana and Grae Morris.
Australian Olympic team chef de mission Anna Meares is amazed at the design of the kit.
“Thank you to ASICS for creating a world-class uniform for our Australian Olympic team,” Meares said.
“ASICS have worked closely with our Olympic sports and athletes to develop a uniform that not only looks fantastic but suits the sporting needs of each of our Olympic sports.
“So many iconic Australian sporting moments played out in ASICS kit at the Tokyo Olympics, and I cannot wait to see the new sporting history Australian athletes will create in Paris in these uniforms.
“We are proud to work with ASICS and the artists to feature Aboriginal and Torres Strait artwork throughout the uniform, bringing the stories of these designs to a global audience of billions.”
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander print is the work of Paul Fleming, an Indigenous artist who represented Australia in boxing at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and Indigenous artist David Bosun.
Fleming’s artwork is titled “Walking Together” and Bosun’s artwork is titled “Ngalmum Danalaig (Our Way of Life)”.
“The centre piece represents a meeting place because the Olympics brings together people of all colours, religions and backgrounds from all over the world who are all competing for the same goal,” Fleming said.
“Everyone essentially becomes one. We’re all athletes and it doesn’t matter where you come from.”
Bosun’s artwork captures the main elements of traditional and modern ways of life in the Torres Strait.
“The winds in this artwork flow diagonally through the Dhari, our traditional head dress, in the middle,” Bosun explained.
“The islands sit within the horizon line and the currents move from top to bottom, bottom to top.
“All the lines converge in the centre, through the Dhari. The Dhari is a key ceremonial piece for us. It is worn during ritual celebrations, specifically in dance ceremonies. It is a powerful and important cultural item.”
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Longbottom, the Australian rugby sevens men’s captain, said he was “incredibly excited” to pull on the green and gold jersey in Paris.
“It fills me with enormous pride to represent my country on the world stage, wearing a uniform which incorporates Indigenous design to showcase our rich cultural heritage, uniting us as one,” said Longbottom, an Indigenous man.
Australia is expected to have a team of 460-480 athletes at the Paris Olympics.
Marathon swimmers Moesha Johnson, Nick Sloman and Kyle Lee were announced on the team on Wednesday.
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