The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) said it has chosen a new design featuring “fiercer-looking” tiger stripes on the official attire of the national contingent for the Paris Olympics.
OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said in a statement today the change was made following mixed feedback on the previous designs.
Norza said the new design features a black jacket with larger and more prominent yellow tiger stripes on the front and back.
He said the OCM logo features a fluttering Jalur Gemilang with the national flag colours accompanied by the five Olympic rings, replacing the gold OCM logo from the previous design.
“OCM believes this new design symbolises the spirit or the tiger, which has become the identity of the Malaysian contingent since it was first introduced at the SEA Games in Manila in 2005.
“It is the hope of OCM, representing stakeholders including the Youth and Sports Ministry, the National Sports Council and the National Sports Institute, that the tiger spirit will inspire national athletes to roar in Paris,” he said.
Norza said as the governing body managing the Malaysian contingent at all international multisport events, OCM hopes the new design will highlight the identity and uniformity of the contingent and symbolise their prowess, agility and courage to fight for the nation.
Meanwhile, for the design of the collared T-shirt, he said OCM retains the same design and motif but with the OCM logo in the Jalur Gemilang colours as a mark of respect for the national flag.
He said the official attire sponsor, Yonex Sunrise Malaysia, has given special permission to the governing body to print and produce the jackets with different fabrics due to time constraints.
“Due to time constraints, OCM has obtained permission from the sponsor Yonex Sunrise Malaysia not to display the Yonex or YY logo on the jackets and T-shirts.
“This is because the process for Yonex Sunrise Malaysia to print and prepare this official attire requires an agreement with the manufacturer as part of the brand’s standard operating procedure,” he said.
The changes were made after images of the National Olympic jersey went viral on social media, raising criticisms over its poor design and ineffective promotional methods. The jersey was shown to the public on awkward-looking mannequins, further diminishing its perceived importance. However, the criticisms were met with rebuttals from the organizers, which only intensified the backlash.
