2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics - Day 4 — Leotards provide flexibility to gymnasts as is seen in the picture with Simone Biles in full-stretch. (Photo: Getty)

Why do gymnasts wear leotards? Exploring the importance and 2024 apparel for USA Gymnastics Team for Paris Olympics 2024

Modified Jul 11, 2024 14:24 GMT

Leotards are an essential part of gymnastics that not only boosts the confidence of the gymnasts, but provides them a lot of flexibility to do complex twists and flips, both on the mat and in the air. Leotards are made from stretchy materials to ensure gymnasts are able to move freely.

USA Gymnastics unveiled the leotards for its Paris Olympics 2024 bound team on July 10. It is the first time in history that the leotards have been released before the competition starts.

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Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, who were all selected for the Paris Olympics, unboxed the leotards in a video shared by USA Gymnastics on X. GK Elite, who is the official manufacturer of USA Gymnastics’ leotards, claimed that the Luminous Legacy leotard, one of eight choices gymnasts will get, had over 10,000 crystals on it.

“The more crystals, the more impact, the more the leotards are talked about. They’re really evening-wear looks. We wanted to lean into that hard for Paris, the fashion capital of the world. So we utilized a lot of high fashion elements, looked at a lot of corsetry, at Art Nouveau architecture, at old Hollywood glamour of the 1920s,” said Jeanne Diaz, design director for the company. (via New York Times)

However, the company also noted that the apparel was focused on enhancing performance. The company has used four-way stretch fabrics to ensure maximum flexibility, and contrary to previous editions, matte fabric has been used this year.

Gymnasts will get eight different designs of leotards to wear at the Paris Olympics 2024. However, everyone will have to wear the Go for Glory variant in the team finals.

How did the USA Gymnastics team react to seeing the leotards for the Paris Olympics 2024?

The USA Gymnastics leotards for the Paris Olympics 2024 are a lot flashier than previous editions. For context, the 2016 Rio Olympic leotards had 5,000 crystals and the 2020 edition had 6,400 crystals. This year, it's a whopping 10,000.

Reigning all-around Olympic champion Suni Lee claimed she was ‘obsessed’ with the leotards. She told the New York Times:

“I am obsessed with how the lights of the arena reflect off the crystals. I am always telling GK I need more.”

The joy was visible on the faces of Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and others while unboxing the leotards for the first time. Biles also expressed admiration for the newly released leotards through her Instagram story.