8 hidden details you may have missed in Olympic athletes' outfits
Talia Lakritz
- The US women's gymnastics team's leotards contain nods to American history.
- Russia's uniforms don't include the Russian flag due to sanctions imposed after a doping scandal.
- Australia's opening ceremony suits were lined with the names of every Australian gold medalist.
The US women's gymnastics team's blue leotard for the qualification event contained 76 stars - a nod to America winning its independence in 1776.
Produced by GK Elite, the leotard is also made from recycled fabric and features 6,467 Swarovski crystals, a representative for the company told Insider.
Their leotards for the women's all-around team final featured 7,600 Swarovski crystals in another reference to 1776.
"The iconic red, white and blue patriotic-inspired designs are meant to draw from symbols of strength and greatness to inspire the men and women to go for gold in Tokyo," a GK Elite representative told Insider.
Simone Biles has worn "GOAT" leotards celebrating her status as the "greatest of all time" in other competitions before the Olympics.
In acknowledgment of her "GOAT" status, Biles began bedazzling her leotards with a rhinestone goat named Goldie. She told Marie Claire's Megan DiTrolio that the goat design is a message to those who criticize her for owning her skill.
"The idea was to hit back at the haters," she said. "I didn't feel like it was necessarily fair how they could keep saying whatever they wanted, but then if I said something, it wasn't fair. [The haters] were joking like, 'I swear, if she put a goat on her leo, blah, blah, blah.' That would make them so angry."
"And then I was like, 'Oh, that's actually a good idea. Let's make the haters hate it, and the fans love it.' And so that's exactly what we did and why we did it," Biles said.
NBC News' Mike Gavin reported that Goldie the goat would not appear on Biles' Olympic leotards due to International Olympic Committee guidelines about logos and brands.
The Dutch women's gymnastics team wore Japanese writing on their leotards as a tribute to the host country of the Tokyo Olympics.
The black, white, and orange uniforms had "オランダ" — the Japanese word for the Netherlands — written across the front, Insider's Meredith Cash reported. Each orange letter was outlined with white and adorned with orange rhinestones.
The New York Times' Tokyo bureau chief Motoko Rich was the first to point out the heartwarming show of appreciation from the Dutch towards Japan.
Germany's men's basketball head coach Henrik Rodl also wore Japanese writing on his shirt.
Rodl's shirt featured "ドイツ" — the Japanese word for Germany — on the front.
Jayson Tatum of the US men's basketball team wore Kobe Bryant's jersey number as a commemorative tribute to his favorite player.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. His daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant also died in the crash, along with seven others.
"With this being the first Olympics since we lost him, it holds that much more value," Tatum told ESPN. "It's not something I take lightly."
Russia's Olympic uniforms aren't allowed to feature the Russian flag due to sanctions imposed after a doping scandal. They feature the Olympic logo with Russia's colors instead.
After state-sponsored doping programs were uncovered in Russia's Olympic delegation in 2014, the Court of Arbitration for Sport imposed a four-year sanction, which was reduced to two years in 2020.
Russian athletes who weren't involved in the doping programs are still allowed to compete as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee, though they can't wear the Russian flag or hear their national anthem at medal ceremonies.
Team Australia's suit jackets at the opening ceremony were lined with the names of every Australian Olympic gold medalist.
Designed by Sportscraft, the uniforms featured the names of all 320 Olympic gold medalists.
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