Australian Olympic garb cottons on to controversy

The delegates and competition uniforms for the Australian Olympic team were revealed in Sydney on Wednesday, not without controversy.

Model athletes: Lisa Darmanin, left, Katie Ebzery, Lucy Stephan, Maurice Longbottom and Tom O’Halloran. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The delegates and competition uniforms for the Australian Olympic team were revealed in Sydney on Wednesday, not without controversy.

Japanese sportswear company ASICS has created the uniforms for the Tokyo Olympics in Soko, taking over from Adidas, which created the performance wear in 2016.

ASICS is among several companies caught up in the controversy over the use of Chinese cotton from the Xinjiang ­region, where it is reported that at least one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are being held in detention camps and forced to work in cotton production in violation of human rights.

Just days ago, an ASICS social media post from China said it would continue to source cotton in China; more than 90 per cent of Chinese cotton comes from the Xinjiang region. The Kobe, Japan, head office later called the statement “unauthorised”.

Australian Olympic Committee vice-president Ian Chesterman said the AOC had been “assured” no cotton from the region was used in the Australian uniforms. The Australian was told via an ASICS spokesperson it had “a strict supplier and manufacturing code of conduct”.

“The Australian Olympic team uniform has been manufactured in Japan and China in accordance with our code of conduct to ensure human rights are respected and environmental standards are met at all times.”

The designs feature Japanese origami-inspired motifs, unusual for an Australian team uniform. The collection includes more than 300 styles and 125,000 units across apparel and footwear, from form-fitting Lycra to tracksuiting. Most products have been made “using performance synthetic fabrications for their technical and cooling properties”.

This includes a fabric with a raised print to stop it from sticking to the skin.

The only purely Australian ­element of the collection is the inclusion of an Indigenous training shirt, which was designed by Australian boxer and artist Paul Fleming, who represented Australia in Beijing in 2008.