Olympics 2024: The double standards of team kit at the Olympics

Nike’s United States’ 2024 Olympic kit was criticsed by athletes when it was launched in April

Nike’s kits from the United States’ 2024 Olympic kit reveal were criticised (Getty Images for the USOPC)

At the 2024 Olympics, every nation will take to their event in a cleverly crafted outfit from some of sport’s biggest designers.

The differences between men’s and women’s kit has grown in recent years, with women usually wearing tighter-fitting outfits using less material than those worn by their male counterparts.

The distinction between the kit has grown in recent years. In the 1928 Games when women were first allowed to compete in track and field events, they wore similar uniforms to male runners, rather than the stark difference today.

The United States’ team track and field kit reveal in April received a backlash related to the cut of the Nike kit for women, while there have been issues in previous years.

What happened with the United States’ team kit launch?

When Nike first launched their United States team Olympic kit, track and field athletes immediately raised concerns over the high-cut leotard which barely covered the bikini line as one of the two models chosen.

Long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall commented on Instagram saying: “Wait my hoo haa is gonna be out,” and many others responded with similarly-minded comments.

Although the kit launch included a number of options for women across the various sports, and the leotard was only one of them, it raised questions about why that particular outfit was chosen to be showcased alongside the men’s option of a sleeveless vest and long shorts.

What is the history behind it?

There has long been an assumption that women’s kits are designed for aesthetics rather than athletic advantage.

Ahead of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Norway’s beach handball team (although beach handball is not an Olympic sport) were fined because they wore tight-fitting shorts rather than bikini bottoms.

However, at one point the only permitted beach volleyball outfits for women were bikinis or a one-piece swimsuit.