Tired look not doing Olympians any favours

Leave it to Canadians to pioneer the just-out-of-bed look.

The Beijing Summer Games begin today, and when our hardworking Canadian athletes march into the stadium during the opening ceremony, they’ll be wearing pajamas.

This year’s crop of Olympic stylings come courtesy of Hudson’s Bay Company—the longest lived Canadian company that’s ever traded a beaver pelt.

Remember when Roots had the contract to design, create and market Olympic wear for our athletes and the greater public? By all accounts, the designs were a smashing success.

Now, this latest Olympic collection, crafted by HBC’s Olympic design team and designer Tu Ly, apparently fuses Canadian and Chinese symbolism. “Canada” is prominently printed on the designs, in both English and Chinese, along with the trusty maple leaf.

And the colours? Red and white. Good for a flag, but when coupled with the five elements of Chinese astrology, not so good for athletic outfits.

According to the Canadian Olympic Committee, the collection is eco-friendly, and was designed with athletes’ input to ensure the Canadian team has ideal clothing to excel in Beijing’s hot summer temperatures.

So, in Canada’s quest for gold in 2008, it seems “the look” was overlooked.

This garb will make our athletes look like frumpy tourists in search of the next knock-off clothing boutique.

The Olympics should be an opportunity for us to celebrate our country, and our athletes – on their quest for the podium – should not be left open for possible wardrobe embarrassment along the way.

Sure, athletes from other countries might be dressed with designs even more goofy, but Canada has more to gain by putting its best fashion foot forward.

Our artists – of all sorts – continually seek greater audiences to earn a living. So how about instead, something that appeals to our soft-spoken Canadian sensibilities?

If the world interprets the outfits of our athletes as representative of our style, heaven help us.