M'sia's Paris Olympics attire slammed as ugly & cheap-looking, to be redesigned

Malaysia will be redesigning the attire for its 2024 Paris Olympics contingent after the proposed design was met with a spate of backlash in the country.

The official gold-themed attire, meant to symbolise Malaysia's pursuit of its first Olympic gold medal, was revealed by the Olympics Council of Malaysia (OCM) on Sunday (Jun. 23).

M'sians slam design

However, the design did not get the reception that they were hoping for.

Following the announcement, commenters flocked to social media to criticise it as uninspiring, simple, and bland, New Straits Times reported.

One commenter on OCM's Instagram post described it as a "low effort design, cheap-looking attire and an embarrassing presentation".

"This is beyond insulting."

Another user compared the design to "school-level" attire, and opined that it was unfit for the Paris Olympics.

Others shared AI-generated designs to show how they felt the outcome could have been executed better.

Malaysia's Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh quickly distanced herself from the design, clarifying in an X post on Jun. 24 that the attire was part of a collaboration between OCM and sports company Yonex.

"It is outside the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports," she added.

A national talking point

The controversy over the attire quickly became a talking point for organisations in Malaysia.

Malaysia-based hypermarket chain Mydin jokingly highlighted the resemblance between the Olympics attire and its own staff uniform in a now-viral X post on Jun. 25.

Kami sedia untuk mewakili Malaysia! 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/CCLyLqmEM2

— MYDIN (@MydinMalaysia) June 25, 2024

It showed a number of Mydin staff standing in formation, with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "We’re ready to represent Malaysia!"

The post has been viewed more than 1.3 million times and been reposted 12,000 times as of Jun. 28.

Umno Youth's secretary Hafiz Ariffin also slammed OCM's approval of the design, saying it lacked care, The Star reported.

“How can they demand a gold medal when OCM failed at the simplest task of designing attire?" Ariffin said.

“We know that (the athletes' kit) is the first thing that will project our nation's image when the spotlight shines, and the world watches," he added.

Attire to be redesigned: OCM

In a statement released on Jun. 28, OCM president Norza Zakaria acknowledged the confusion and discontent caused by the design.

"After considering feedback from the Youth and Sports Minister (KBS), the National Sports Council (NSC), and sports fans, OCM acknowledges that the design of the official jacket did not meet expectations," Norza wrote.

He explained that Yonex has been the official attire sponsor for the Malaysian contingent since 2014, and with each new sponsorship cycle, the outfit designs will be updated.

The recent design of a gold and black jacket featuring a gold-coloured OCM logo, was to symbolise the aspirations of the Malaysian contingent to secure the country's first Olympic gold medal but "the design was not well-received", Norza noted.

He added that OCM "takes full responsibility for this oversight" and will improve the existing design.

Norza also urged all Malaysians to unite in support for the national contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"We hope Malaysians will join together and pray for the success of the Malaysian contingent with full spirit and unity, just as they have shown enthusiasm in providing their views on the attire."

Top image from Olympic Council of Malaysia / Facebook