The downside of having a day job is that its impossible to to watch anything that occurs outside of prime time in the central timezone. As a result, I spent the day trying to dodge Olympic Opening Ceremony spoilers so I could watch the NBC re-broadcast when it aired locally. To that end I was mostly successful, though a few things managed to seep through, like the Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi figures. (Did they remind anyone else of the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents, or was it just me?)
When I did get to sit down and watch the Opening Ceremonies, I was with my friends Robin and Joy. When the ceremony progressed to the Parade of Nations, we inevitably began discussing and debating the uniforms each of the participating countries wore. From it we came up a completely subjective list of our favorite country uniforms.
Our Overall Favorite
Due to the oddities of rebroadcast and timing, the Opening Ceremony outfits we all like the most, Mongolia, were not actually shown. Thankfully, as usual the internet was undefeated, and just I couldn’t avoid running across multiple accounts of just how great their Opening Ceremony uniforms were. Across multiple Games, Mongolia has shown that it gets the Opening Ceremony assignment; look good but also represent your country and culture. Many other National Olympic Committees should take notes.
Other Favorites
Haiti
Haiti also understood the assignment. When you think of snow sports, Haiti doesn’t necessarily show up among the first nations one thinks of. That being said, if there was a way to make a a cold weather outfit feel warm, this would be it. The colors just absolute pop and look fantastic. This pairing barely finished second on our list.
Ireland
Ireland’s outfit is simple, clean, and fits together really well. When Ireland marched in during the Parade of Nations, we immediately noted how nice the hats they were wearing looked. Arguably, they look much nicer up close than they do in the above photo. Unlike some of the sweaters that other nations wore, Ireland’s sweater wasn’t super busy. I also like the green of their jackets.
Pakistan
Green is my favorite color, so I have a bias toward a nice green uniform. In this case, I wasn’t alone in thinking this was a sharp outfit. Darker than Ireland’s green, the green here works well with the white. The pattern gives the uniform a sense of movement without being overwhelming.
Canada
The final entrant on our list of favorites is Canada. The oversized scarf/cover thing which formed a maple leaf that drew a lot of attention. The hats with ear flaps were also an element we appreciated.
As the Games progress, I don’t quite know what I am going to write about. Daily coverage of all events just isn’t possible from afar. I will draw inspiration from what occurs. It won’t be all about uniforms. If anyone has any thoughts for topics, I might give it a shot.
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