White makes a fine background for gold, and Team USA hopes to see a lot of that color combo on the medal stand for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Nike unveiled the 2020 medal stand apparel on Wednesday that Team USA athletes will wear in Tokyo when receiving their medals, showing off a sharply cut all-white ensemble consisting of a jacket and pants cropped short like joggers. The jacket is a reimagined version of Nike’s famous Windrunner that was first introduced in 1979.
Just like the medals athletes will receive and the podium they’ll stand on, the athlete apparel is made from recycled materials. The jackets are made from 100-percent recycled polyester while the pants are 100-percent recycled nylon. Rubber elements, such as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team logos on the chest, are made with Nike Grind materials consisting of recycled rubber.
Nike also unveiled new uniforms for several sports, including basketball, skateboarding, soccer, and track and field. Skateboarders get a unique look for their sport’s Olympic debut, receiving colorful and loose-fitting designs emblematic of skateboarding culture. Basketball took a step into the past for inspiration, giving the U.S. women’s team a red uniform reminiscent of its popular design from the 1996 Games, and the men receive a retro design with USA in blue over white underneath red shoulders.
The U.S. soccer teams will wear white home jerseys with navy shorts and navy away kits with navy shorts. The away jersey design is particularly unique, featuring a camouflage-inspired design in lighter blue across the chest. Team USA’s track stars will be looking sleek and powerful in their designs featuring electric patterns of red, white and blue with matching compression sleeves.
Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.