Turkish Olympic athletes’ outfits spark heated debate

ISTANBUL

The 33rd Olympic Games in Paris commenced with a dazzling ceremony along the Seine River, but the uniforms worn by Turkish athletes have divided public opinion back home.

Designed by Vakko, the outfits were met with mixed reactions, with some praising their elegance and quality while others derided them as resembling “pajamas.”

The outfits, worn by acclaimed athletes such as archer Mete Gazoz and boxer Busenaz Sürmeneli, quickly became a topic of heated discussion on social media.

“Our athletes’ uniforms looked like pajamas,” remarked one critic.

This sentiment was echoed by fashion designer Cihan Nacar who said, “With all due respect, the ceremonial outfits really look like pajamas. This is Paris, the capital of world fashion. More original and beautiful work could have been done in a year. Even the color choice is wrong.”

Fashion designer Neslişah Yılmaz also weighed in on the discussion in an interview with daily Hürriyet. 

“Looking at the fashion shoots before the Olympics, there is definitely a classy look. Of course, we don’t expect our athletes to carry these clothes just like the models in those shoots. It would be a mistake to expect that. But when we look at the much-admired outfits of countries like Mongolia and France, we see pieces of their own culture. This is what we lacked.”

“If the Vakko team had incorporated motifs from Turkish culture, such as a handcrafted rug design, without even seeing the Turkish flag, our outfits would have received applause. But ours has no story! The design is high quality, but it's disappointing that it was such a simple, ready-to-wear look.”

Meanwhile, fashion editor Yağmur Kalyoncu added, “The horizontal and vertical lines represent the dynamic face of sports, while blue symbolizes peace. But the blue is too soft. A sharper blue should have been preferred. More red could have balanced it.”