THE clobber that will adorn national athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 have caused quite an uproar with many Malaysians not quite enamoured by the Yonex designs.
While the official gear may not have captured the public’s imagination, reaction by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh on the issue has gone down like a lead balloon.
In a Facebook post, the Segambut MP had attempted to deflect criticism by explaining that the uniform design of the Malaysian Olympic contingent came under the purview of the Olympic Council Malaysia (OCM).
She further explained that Yonex is the official sponsor for OCM and that the sports body had approved the official uniforms that were unveiled over the weekend (June 23).
However, her statement has not gone down well with many netizens who are using it as the proverbial stick to beat her and Youth and Sports Ministry.
One netizen not only lambasted the weak design but also the soul-less launch ceremony, saying this is not how a nation prepares for the world’s biggest sporting bonanza which will be held in the French capital from July 26 to Aug 11.
A few netizens summed up the mood of Yeoh’s attempted deflection of the criticism by cynically suggesting that her ministry should not claim credit when national athletes are successful.
One netizen expressed surprise that a sports manufacturer seemed to have a bigger say on the matter than the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Another said regardless that it was under OCM, the Youth and Sports Ministry should have at least voiced its opinion given this was a matter of national pride and interest. She further grumbled that the colours of the Jalur Gemilang was unrepresented in this design.
While another suggested that Yeoh should have exercised her ministerial clout in righting the wrongs, especially the gold-coloured Jalur Gemilang.
A few netizens asked why there wasn’t a competition involving the Malaysian public in designing the uniform for such a prestigious event.
With one even suggesting impropriety with corruption involved.
A few also pointed out that the use of mannequins during the unveiling did not help matters.
One commenter even cheekily suggesting that the mannequins would have refused to wear the hideous designs if they could.
Another lamented regardless of the body that was in charge, it does not deflect from the poor design of the gear, pointing out that it was very far removed from the spirit of Harimau Malaya.
In essence, the disgruntlement expressed by netizens raises a few issues. Firstly, regardless of who made the final decision, the language used by Yeoh smacked of cuci tangan (not wanting to take responsibility for mistake) attitude. This is not what the public wants to see or hear from elected officials.
Secondly, there should be greater accountability from the relevant bodies. On this note, Chef de Mission Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin has justified that the main theme of the official attire – including the use of gold instead of the previous orange – aims to evoke the relentless pursue of medals for the nation at the prestigious global sporting event.
“We have agreed with Yonex (the official attire manufacturer) to showcase the colour gold,” he told the media after observing the training session of professional women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei yesterday (June 25).
“The orange colour has been around since 2004 and many athletes before this have requested the OCM to change to another colour. The colours of orange, gold and blue are all acceptable; they are the colours of the OCM logo, not the Malaysian flag, so there is no issue.”
Above all else, Hamidin who is also OCM deputy president revealed that the majority of Malaysian athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have agreed with the design of the national contingent’s official attire.
MOM tidak akan tunduk kepada kritikan yang dilemparkan netizen terhadap corak rekaan pakaian rasmi kontinjen negara ke Sukan Olimpik Paris.
Source: Utusan Malaysia https://t.co/ZiKnVDIGCZ
— #TeamMALAYSIA (@AtletMalaysia) June 26, 2024
Thirdly, it must be noted that such matters are hugely subjective. One just has to see the reactions to national jerseys of teams currently competing in the Euro 2024 with the England kit coming under fire for changing the colour of its Cross of St George emblem.
However, thus far, the verdict for Team Malaysia’s official clobber seems to be overwhelmingly negative with OCM, Yonex and probably, the Youth and Sports Ministry deserving of the criticism and demerit points. – June 26, 2024
