Chinese netizens slams Rio uniform of players

Chinese netizens have slammed the yellow and red dress worn by their players at the opening ceremony of Rio Olympic Games.

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2016. | AP

BEIJING: Chinese netizens have slammed the yellow and red dress worn by their players at the opening ceremony of Rio Olympic Games, saying they looked like "cheap restaurant waiters and waitresses".

"I think the dress was utterly ugly. The opening ceremony should be one of the best occasions to display China's soft power and creative fashions, but dressed in the uniform our sportsmen look like cheap restaurant waiters and waitresses," state-run China Daily quoted Chen Cheng, a netizen from Beijing as saying.

Yin Zhengsheng, a professor of art and design at Tongji University in Shanghai, said the uniforms worn at international events such as the Olympics represent a nation's image.

"China has made great efforts to develop top athletes, but that's not enough. The spirit of sports is not only the brilliant performances of a few sportsmen, but also a combination of sporting skills, sportsmanship and charisma," he said.

Facing an overwhelming criticism vilifying the uniforms worn by the Chinese team at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games, Ye Chaoying, the designer reposted an article called "The Hottest Dish" on his account on WeChat, a popular social-networking platform, which likened the red-and-yellow team uniforms to a well-known Chinese dish -- scrambled eggs with tomatoes -- which has now become synonymous with the team's uniform.

Ye designed the uniforms worn by China's athletes at the opening and closing ceremonies of the last three Olympic Games.

"By combining more than 1,000 designs that Hengyuanxiang collected globally, I designed eight different styles, and the red-and-yellow version was finally chosen," Ye said.

To his surprise, he has been taunted, slandered and even threatened.

"I suffered a human flesh search (concerted attacks on social media) and strangers have phoned me at 6 am, calling me the 'sinner of the nation'," he said.

"The red-and-yellow was chosen by the nation's decision-makers, but it seems many young Chinese netizens disagreed," said Lin Jian, a fashion columnist in Shanghai.

"Many countries' uniforms are produced by well-known brands or designers, but I doubt if our designer and brand represents China's creativity or the Chinese spirit," Lin said.