Sport
Team GB will wear traditional Union Jack at Paris 2024 Olympics after outrage over twist on flag
Not unlike the backlash to England's new kit for Euros, plenty have been left very unhappy.
Danny Jones -
2nd April 2024 
It has been confirmed that Team GB will wear the traditional Union Jack on their competition kit at the Paris 2024 Olympics, following criticism over redesigns of the flag on their latest clothing.
Now just a few months away from the Summer Games in France, Team GB unveiled some new licensed merchandise ahead of the tournament, including jackets, supporters flags and sports bottles which feature the United Kingdom’s official symbol in different shades besides the original blue, red and white.
While designers Thisaway said they simply wanted to try and “refresh” the colour palette and make the merch feel more “flexible and ownable”, many have labelled the tweaks an attempt to “deface” a national symbol, “perverse” as opposed to diverse, as well as “woke” for using inclusive pinks and purples.
In fact, the backlash has grown big enough that Team GB have now had to issue a statement assuring fans that athletes will be donning the normal Union Jack and colour scheme when competing at the Olympics in July.
While Team GB has said they received “positive feedback” from the public over the slight fashion-driven slant on the national symbol, they have now reiterated in a statement: “Rest assured the Union Flag will feature proudly on the team kit for Paris, as it always does.
“This image doesn’t replace the Union Flag, which we will wear with pride later this summer.”
Speaking to The Sun, the President of the Flag Institute, Malcolm Farrow, said of the situation: “People have every right to be upset with Team GB.
“They need to remember brave men fought for this flag and died while protecting it. Changing it is bordering on an insult to them. To do something like this in places like India, Greece or Turkey would have serious consequences.” Even former Olympian Fatima Whitbread took time to criticise the designs, saying she was “disgusted” with the changes.
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This comes just a week after many England fans across the country were calling for a boycott of Nike after a similar twist on the St George’s Cross flag located on the collar of their new kits for Euro 2024.
England’s latest kits have also been slammed for being too expensive – to the point, in fact, that one company have even offered to swap people a holiday in exchange for their overpriced kits.
Does Team GB and agencies like this getting playful with stuff like this matter to you or are you not bothered?
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Featured Images — Team GB
