Made-In-China Olympic Uniforms Spark Outrage In US
Please note that we are not authorised to provide any investment advice. The content on this page is for information purposes only.
The U.S.-China rivalry took an unfashionable sporting twist on Thursday after a report by ABC News revealed that American athletes were being decked out in made-in-China uniforms for the upcoming Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies.
The U.S.-China rivalry took an unfashionable sporting twist on Thursday after a report by ABC News revealed that American athletes were being decked out in made-in-China uniforms for the upcoming Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies.
Several politicians, including House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Republican house speaker John Boehner, expressed outrage towards the U.S. Olympic Committee’s (USOC) and claimed that the USOC should not have approved the uniforms, which were designed by American apparel giant Ralph Lauren but produced in China, in the first place.
[quote]”You’d think they’d know better,” said Boehner to a press conference, as cited by AFP.[/quote]“We take great pride in our Olympic athletes and try to watch them through as many of the trials as possible. I can’t wait to stay up all night to see as much as possible of them. We take such pride and they work so hard. They represent the very best and they’re so excellent, it’s all so beautiful…[but] they should be wearing uniforms made in America,” added Pelosi, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
The USOC however has defended its decision to stick with designer Ralph Lauren for the clothing at London 2012, despite a 2008 Reuters report that demonstrated how Ralph Lauren were already using Chinese tailors during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the US Olympic Team is privately funded and we’re grateful for the support of our sponsors,” said USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky in a press statement.
“We’re proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company, and excited to watch America’s finest athletes compete at the upcoming Games in London.”
Sandusky also took to Twitter to defend his decision, claiming that the rhetoric surrounding the issue was “nonsense.”
“All this talk about Olympic uniforms made in China is nonsense. Polo RL is an American company that supports American athletes,” his tweet read.
[quote]“Let’s be clear that Ralph Lauren is a sponsor,” he added. “They don’t just make our athletes of opening ceremony gear, they sponsor our team. That means that they financially support our team…. An American company that supports American athletes.”[/quote]Nevertheless outraged US Olympic sports fans also made their feelings known on the official US Olympic Committee Twitter site.
“Talk about denigrating USA athletes,” wrote one fan.
Nick Symmonds, a US Olympic 800-meter runner, tweeted, “Our Ralph Lauren outfits for the Olympic opening ceremonies were made in China. So, um, thanks China.”
But the biggest reaction to the news probably came from Senate majority leader Harry Reid who called for the uniforms to be thrown into a fire.
[quote]“I am so upset. I think the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves. I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again,” Reid told reporters.[/quote]“If they have to wear nothing but a singlet that says USA on it, painted by hand, then that’s what they should wear,” he said.
Prices for a full male athlete’s uniform is believed to cost $1945, while a female athlete’s is worth $1473. Besides dressing Team USA for the opening and closing ceremonies, Ralph Lauren will also be providing casual clothes for athletes to wear around the Olympic Village.
Related: America Needs To Rethink Its Priorities With China: Stephen Roach
Related: America’s China-Centric Blame Game Is Absurd: Stephen S. Roach
But with the U.S. losing more and more of its manufacturing business to China – the U.S. manufacturing industry contracted for the first time in three years last month – Chinese made products are now a sensitive topic in the country.
“We have enormous pride in all of our Olympic athletes and want to ensure they are displaying the same pride we have in our American workers when competing on the world stage,” wrote congressman Steve Israel and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
