Empowering India!

‘GK Elite’, the US women’s Gymnastic team sponsor

India has its biggest ever contingent at the ongoing Olympic Games. “EMPOWERING INDIA” is the theme for the team’s apparel.

However, instead of ‘empowering’ India, the IOC(International Olympic committee) managed to embarrass India by providing the athletes with ill-fitted clothing and poor quality apparel. In a country, where sports like hockey, archery and boxing are not given due importance, such an incident can make things worse for the athletes at the grass root level. An unwritten rule can be formed about athletes at the state and junior levels ‘not making a fuss about the quality and fitting of the apparel provided to them’.

Interestingly, an experienced sports reporter from a reputed channel, in London witnessed these goof-ups, and shockingly said that these were trivial issues which should not matter much and that it had no connection with winning or losing.

Though it is true that winning an event requires skill, focus and attitude, but in no way does it mean that we have to make our athletes look like a bunch of jokers on an international stage. The U.S. womens gymnastic team are wearing apparel made by ‘GK Elite’(since two decades now).

In an interview, Kelly McKeown, executive vice president of ‘Design and corporate relations’ at GK Elite said, “You’re sitting up in the seats, looking down, and there are strong lights, and not only do you see a beautiful design, but you get to see this elegant, sparkly, beautiful outfit. We want the athlete to be focused on their performance and their competition. In Olympic years, they go all out. This is definitely, by far, the best apparel, historically, the USA has ever worn. There’s a lot of psychology behind what you wear when you compete. If you look amazing and you feel amazing you’re going to be more confident.”

Now, comparing this attitude with what the Indian sports reporter had to say, there is doubt as to whether he has ever played a sport in his life, as sportsmen at any level can tell that the only thing that would ever matter is the apparel’s fitting, which has a direct bearing on an athletes performance (imagine a hockey drag flicker having a tear in his shorts during a match!). For many athletes, adapting to a foreign land and the weather is a huge task in itself and such issues will just add on to their woes.

“For some countries, the design process started two years ago, at the ‘World gymnastic championships’. Team designers come up with ideas, and potential Olympic athletes try them on and give feedback . The U.S. team has ordered 8 and 12, competitive and training leotards respectively.

“A single uniform was sent back for some final alterations,” says McKeown, who also added that she carries a sewing-kit along with her in the ongoing London games, in case of an unexpected alteration.

Again, comparing this with the (lack of) commitment shown by the ‘DIDA‘, they have squarely blamed the IOC on ‘giving apparels of the wrong sizes’. If the US basketball team could get apparels of cutomised stitching for each team member on the recommendation of the team coach, it is hard to understand why ‘DIDA’ could not do it more professionally like GK elite? At the end of it all, the players will finally face the music, and the IOC and ‘DIDA’ can just wash their hands off the entire fiasco.

Also, the Egyptian contingent was given fake ‘Nike’ gear for the ongoing Olympics. A member of the contingent is believed to have tweeted that her apparel which had a big ‘Nike’ sign on it, was infact an ‘Adidas’. The above mentioned member has reportedly spent ’2000 Egyptian pounds’ from her pockets to buy her own gear. Even, the Spanish, who were initially disappointed with their ‘loud and ugly’ apparel, found them to be perfect fits!

So, is it India Empowered? Really?