1 Stella McCartney
This is the second time the British fashion designer has been chosen to create the kit for Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. McCartney is an experienced sportswear designer, having had a commercial and critically acclaimed women’s range with Adidas since 2004 – the first time a sports brand teamed up with a high-end designer – so it made sense for them to ask her to design the kit for London 2012. Despite a few criticisms, replica kits sold out.
2 The coat of arms – and a missing fox
Designed by the College of Arms, the new crest – seen in a stylised version here – features a wealth of national and Olympic imagery. The shield includes a rose (representing England), thistle (Scotland), leek (Wales) and flax (Northern Ireland), while the torch-brandishing lions wear crowns of laurel wreaths. A smaller lion sits in a crown featuring bronze, silver and gold medals. An earlier design swapped this smaller lion for a fox, in reference to these lines (as one translation has it) by Ancient Greek poet Pindar: “For when the competition is arduous his boldness is like that of roaring lions, but he is a fox for skill and cunning”.
3 Jessica Ennis-Hill’s kit
It’s now normal for elite female track athletes to wear two-piece outfits, a trend that started in the mid-90s. However, John D Barrow, the theoretical physicist and mathematician, wrote in his book Mathletics that he believes crop tops “make little sense” for men or women – they can make an athlete cold in cold weather, and cold in warm weather (when sweat evaporates). Still, Ennis-Hill probably knows what she’s doing.
4 Tom’s trunks
It’s not just the women’s kit that has shrunk in recent years. “My trunks are quite small. It’s kind of how it is,” said diver Tom Daley. “I was heavily involved in the way the trunks were going to be cut, to ensure you’re all in place when doing your dives and nothing goes awry.”
5 The colour red
In 2012, McCartney was criticised for her deconstructed union flags, which resulted in a blue-heavy colour scheme. Even academics and sports psychologists weighed in, saying the lack of red – a colour associated with dominance and aggression – might negatively affect Team GB’s chances. But in fact it was Britain’s most successful Olympics since 1908. It might not be a coincidence that McCartney wore a red coat to the unveiling.
