Silly Little Country

Sartorial Battles at the Olympics

I had no idea that clothes so made the athlete, though I do find the different outfits worn by the athletes one of the entertaining points as we switch from event to event.
From the Norwegian curlers' pants, to the snow cross pants, to the whole outfit of some figure skaters, we have lots of controversy about dress.
Curlers:

Team member Christoffer Svae, who helped kit out the team, was also the inspiration behind the Norwegian team wearing pink belts at some tournaments last year.
"There are no rules against the pants, but there may be after this," admitted Svae.

Snow cross:

The flair of halfpipers is seen as one of the engines of snowboarding's lucrative fashion industry, while alpine riders have a more a practical approach, aiming for top speeds with the help of sleeker body suits.
The Americans and a few other teams have unsuccessfully called on the International Ski Federation (FIS) to follow the X Games lead and set a minimum pant-leg width for snowboard cross, Holland said.
So far, no rules to police pants size have been put in place.

Figure Skating:

A top Russian skating pair whose 'Aboriginal' ice dance routine hurt feelings in Australia have decided to ditch their costumes for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, a newspaper reported on Monday.

Johnny Weir won't be wearing a costume trimmed with fox fur at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games,

...who donned electric blue catsuits that could’ve been rejects from Blades of Glory for their program

I suspect the interest is driven by a combination of the unfamiliarity of many of the sports and the resulting tendency to find watching the sport itself a little boring, as people watching don't understand either the rules of the sport or the strategies involved.
Another effect, I think, is that the the IOC introduces new events to try to keep the Olympics cool to appeal to a more lucrative demographic, but the focus on winning by the various participating countries introduces tensions into the more laid-back traditions of the sport involved.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 7:18 AM