The Evolution of Olympics

Sportswear

BY DANIELLE SHERRER

FROM 1896 TO NOW

HistoryFirst Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896

Only men were allowed to participated

The Paris Games of 1900 allowed women to compete in:

Tennis, Sailing, Croquet, Equestrianism, and GolfOnly 22 women competed out of 997 athletes

Women made up 44% of athletes in the London 2012 Olympics

St. Louis 1904

Long shorts and cotton vests seen on men

Different cultures presented their own spin on sportswear

Rules and Regulations Take Effect

LONDON 1908 ”Every competitor must wear complete clothing from the shoulder to the knees (i.e. jersey sleeved to the elbows and loose drawers with slips).”

STOCKHOLM 1912 ”...each competitor shall wear a jersey with short sleeves and drawers to the knees, and

shall also have on back and front during competition a distinctive number

corresponding to the number in the programme assigned to him by ballot.”

Berlin 1936

JESSE OWENS TOOK HOME FOUR GOLD

MEDALS IN HIS DASSLER

BROTHERS CLEATS

1956-1964

Rise of Mass Manufacturing

Rise of synthetic fibersNylonSpandex

Munich 1972

SHORT DISTANCE RUNNERS – CLOSER FITTING JERSEYS AND SHORTS

LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS – LIGHTER MATERIALS

Moscow 1980Jersey worn with shorts that were

high cut, shiny, ultra short and baggy

1992 to the Present

BRANDING IS SEEN

Nike

Adidas

Puma

Reebok

TIGHT SYNTHETIC UNIFORMS

COMPUTER MODELING

Paris 1900

Women had no choice and participated in ankle-length

dresses with long sleeves and high necks and shoes with a heel

Antwerp 1920

WOMEN COMPETED IN SHORTER LENGTH SKIRTS WITH LOWER NECKLINES

Women had started to enter the workforce at this point making corsets and skirts not a norm anymore.

Amsterdam 1928

Track and field introduced for

women

Los Angeles 1932Alice Marbles makes shorts standard for women to wear while competing.

50s, 60s, & 70s

Synthetic Fibers were introduced in the late 50s and early 60s

1972-1976 were when leotards for gymnastics made gymnastics become popular

1980s

Sponsorships

High-cut Briefs worn

1992 to the Present

Midriffs are seen

Technology Innovations

Nike New Technology Innovations

PATTERNED PATCHES FOR BETTER AERODYNAMICS

Adidas New Technology InnovationsClimaCool for ventilation, TECHFITTM PowerWEB that helps acceleration and endurance

by mirroring athletes’ muscle movements

Bibliography

Betty. "Olympic Sportswear: A Complete History." V Is for Vintage. WordPress Hosting, 3 Aug.2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

International Olympic Committee. "Olympic.org Registration." Olympics. International OlympicCommittee, 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

James, Tony. "Dressed To Win." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 7.7 (2012): 50-53.Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

Murphy, Heather. "From Loose and Heavy to Tight and Dimpled: A Visual History of SprinterUniforms." Slate. Graham Holdings Company, 5 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

The Daily Caller, InternAdmin. "New Nike Olympics Uniforms Shave Time off Sprinters." TheDaily Caller. The Daily Caller, 14 June 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

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