KUALA LUMPUR: The official attire for the Malaysian contingent at the Paris Olympics, starting on July 26, has sparked a wave of criticism online, with many Malaysians voicing their displeasure over its design.
Unveiled on Sunday during the Olympic Day celebration at TRX here, the gold-themed attire was meant to symbolise Malaysia's pursuit of its first Olympic gold medal.
Instead, it has been met with widespread disapproval.
In the comments section of the Instagram post by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (@olympicmas), netizens criticised the design as uninspiring, simple, and bland.
One user described it as "low effort design, cheap-looking attire and an embarrassing presentation. This is beyond insulting."
Another added, "The ugly mannequins make the attire uglier. Malaysia has many talented designers; is this the best you could do?"
Another netizen compared the design to "school-level" attire, deeming it unfit for the Paris Olympics.
Some noted that the attire for last year's Hangzhou Asian Games was superior and questioned why the Olympic attire did not match that standard.
Following the negative feedback, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh on X said: "The official attire of the Malaysian contingent for multi-sport events is the responsibility of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (@olympicmas).
"This is a collaboration between Yonex and @olympicmas and is beyond the jurisdiction of @KBSMalaysia and @MSNMALAYSIA."
Despite the backlash, there have been no announcements regarding a redesign of the attire.
The Malaysian contingent remains focused on their preparations for the Games.
