Adidas unveils Team GB Rio Olympic Games kit

London - With less than 100 days to go until the 2016 Rio Olympics, Adidas has unveiled Team GB’s performance kit, which is on average 10 percent lighter than the 2012 kit to help athletes “go further and faster”.

The kit was once again designed by Adidas creative director Stella McCartney and features a new specially commissioned Coat of Arms as its new logo, which aims to act as a unifying symbol across the two teams, Team GB and Paralympics GB and multiple sports, contrasting a traditional icon with a 21st Century look and feel.

The design was commissioned by Adidas and created by The College of Arms and includes references to all four home nations and has been granted to the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) for use by the governing bodies from 2016.

Commenting on the coat of arms, McCartney, said: “The goal for Rio 2016 was to rewrite the rules of performance and design for athletes, allowing them to look and feel like champions on and off the field. The inspiration behind the design was this idea of contrasting British tradition with a modern attitude.

“The new Coat Of Arms, specially commissioned for this project, and traditional Union Flag hues sit alongside bold textures and modern silhouettes to create a strong identity and make the athletes feel like a team.”

Alongside the coat of arms, the team kit features the red, blue and white colours of the Union Flag, which features as an abstract starburst graphic in the background of many pieces, while on others it has been badged more traditionally on the hip. Adidas says that this design was to create an “imposing look” that would stand out on the highest sporting stage.

Stella McCartney unveils patriotic Team GB Adidas kit for Olympics

Aesthetics aside, the Team GB kit represents the most technical advances in clothing that they can offer athletes for the Olympics, with Adidas claiming that the fabric is on average 10 percent lighter than 2012 to help the athletes “go further and faster,” thanks to the new generation of lightweight, breathable synthetic Adizero fabric.

In addition, other garments include Adidas Climachill technology, a specially-developed material which conducts heat and sweat away from the body to ensure athletes stay dry, comfortable and can perform at their best, to combat Rio’s hot and humid summer climate. Whilst footwear for the track, road and podium will feature the unrivalled energy return of Adidas Boost technology.

Adidas UK brand director, Barry Moore, added: “Athletes are at the heart of everything we do at Adidas. We’ve worked with our Creative Director Stella McCartney and top British athletes to create a kit that is not only lighter than at 2012 but also one that includes our CLIMA technology – innovations that will help Team GB and ParalympicsGB in their pursuit for medals in Rio.”

The sportswear giant conducted extensive consultations with many of the British athletes including Olympic medalists Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley and Laura Trott, who all took part in the two-year design process to test the kit.

2012 Olympic Gold Medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill said: “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the creative process with Stella McCartney and Adidas. It’s an amazing design and I think it will give British athletes a massive sense of pride and give us an edge in Rio."

Bill Sweeney, BOA CEO added: “Adidas have created yet another iconic look for Team GB. The detail that has gone into the creation of the huge range of technical and leisure products enables us to go to Rio as the best-prepared team, with the perfect fusion of performance with style. Its eye-catching design means our fans will easily be able to pick out their favourite stars.”

The Adidas Team GB replica apparel and fan-wear will be available from May 1 at www.adidas.co.uk and sports retailers.

Images: Adidas