Athletes display the new Chinese Olympic Team uniform for the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games on May 31. Photo: Beijing Evening News

The Team China for the upcoming Rio Olympic Games in August unveiled its new uniform on May 31 in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The design of the uniform retains the patriotic palette of red and yellow used since 2008, which many ridicule resembles the Chinese dish "fried eggs with tomatoes" in color combination.

However, the designer said he hopes the colors will make the athletes "feel like wearing the national flag when they step into the stadium during the opening ceremony."

Design features



The uniform for the Chinese delegation to the Rio Olympics has a male version as well as a female version - the male version includes red coat, white shirt, patterned tie, white trousers and white shoes; while the female version includes yellow coat, white shirt, patterned silk scarf and white skirt along with white shoes.

As sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Hengyuanxiang Group has agreed to provide the uniform for the Chinese delegation for  two Summer Olympics.

Ye Chaoying, the designer of Team China's uniform since 2008 and chairman of Jueshuai clothing company under Hengyuanxiang Group, told the Global Times that he was inspired by the Chinese national flag.

"Many of the athletes would run around the arena wearing the national flag after winning a gold metal," Ye said.

 "We want this uniform to strengthen their will to become champions," said Ye.

Not so attractive

The design became a target of mockery among Chinese netizens soon after its release.

"Underglaze blue, the Han-style, even the ethnic minority styles, we have so many patterns and elements that can be used, but this one is so ugly," said "Nieni Rourou Xiaoduzi," a Sina Weibo user.

"You will not complain about how ugly your school uniforms are any more when you see these uniforms for the athletes," "Shijian Zaiwu Li Congjia," posted on Sina Weibo.

"I will just wait for Ning Zetao [Chinese swimmer] to make the uniform look beautiful," Sina Weibo user "A Marilynne Cute Deer in the Morning" said.

Ye, whose Sina Weibo account is named "fried eggs with tomatoes," said he was aware that his design was not favored by many people, and was even insulted by some of them directly, and he was a victim of cyber manhunt by strangers on the Internet.

"The bright red and yellow reflect confidence of Team China," Wang Qi, the manager of China Sports Industry Group and a sports marketing expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

"However, the design is out of date and resembles the dress of township enterprise cadres," Wang said.

Wang added that that the national flag element can be kept as a part of the uniform, while the overall design should change from time to time to keep it fashionable and creative.

'Like a child'



However, Ye argued the collocation of yellow and red is deeply rooted in Chinese people's hearts.

"People would know this is China as soon as the colors appear," Ye said.

He added that even after Hengyuanxiang stops designing and manufacturing Team China's uniform, the successors can hardly break the frame of the colors.

"Plus, red is a color Chinese people have loved for thousands of years, and as the national flag is not appropriate for the design of clothing, a best way to show the Chinese nationality is to use the color," Ye said.

According to Ye, they have visited training camps around China to measure around 2,000 athletes who would wear the uniform in the upcoming Rio Olympics, and they are still waiting for the final name list of Team China.

"The design is like my child. It has been part of my life, and I absolutely adore it," Ye said.

Guo Jianchen, a public relations manager at Hengyuanxiang, told the Global Times, "As a time-honored brand, using recurring sporting events to promote the brand ensures that people will remember the brand."

"China will be represented by about 400 athletes at the Rio Games, competing in some 220 events of 26 sports," Liu Aijie, deputy director of the competitive sports department of the State General Administration of Sport,was quoted by Xinhua.