Paris Olympics 2024: Traditional Indian saree to be ceremonial uniform for female Indian athletes at the mega event
For the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024, the traditional Indian saree is set to return as India’s official ceremonial uniform. Notably, the Indian female athletes wore a saree at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics in 2016.
As per a report published by The Times of India, female Indian athletes will wear standalone pre-pleated ikat printed sarees. Ikat involves printing woven fabric by tie-dyeing the warp yarns.
Furthermore, the saree will be matched with a blouse pocket, IOC’s insignia, and a saffron color blouse to highlight strength and courage.
Moving forward to the men’s attire, they will don traditional kurta pajamas, complemented by jackets, featuring the official IOA insignia. The jackets will have printed lower panels, cargo pockets and tape detailing, paired with a kurta and trousers.
Both outfits will be made of pure cotton fabric in an ivory color design, designed for handling the sweltering summer temperatures, ensuring that the athletes remain comfortable throughout the day at the ceremony for the Paris Olympics.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) approves the traditional attire for the Paris Olympics 2024
It’s important to note that the designs were already approved by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on May 29, Tuesday, after the government’s initiative to return to the traditional attire for the Paris Olympics.
Additionally, the outfits will feature elements of the tricolor. Female athletes will pair saffron blouses with green and orange ikat printed panels and tapes.
For the men, the tricolor will be printed on the tape and lower panels of their open bandi jackets. The button holes will be blue, representing the Ashoka Chakra, a prominent feature of the flag.
Notably, eight years ago, the athletes had worn uncoordinated blue blazers in Brazil. Moreover, the Saree as ceremonial attire was discontinued before the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Gold Coast in 2018 and the Asian Games in Jakarta/Palembang.
In Tokyo during the 2020 Olympics, which were rescheduled for a year later to 2021, the female Indian athletes donned traditional golden salwar suits with jackets while men sported bandhgalas.
In the past, Indian male athletes have typically worn blazers or bandhgalas over matching formal trousers, complemented by head turbans.