LETTERS: The debate on what our athletes will wear at the Paris Olympics is important, not because of the design of their tracksuits, but because of what we are not talking about.
We are going to the world's fashion capital.
There will be much discussion about what each team is wearing. There will be best dressed and worst dressed awards given out by the fashion media.
What the public needs to know is that at the global level and indeed for some Malaysian national teams, there is an official tracksuit and an official travel attire, which are more formal than a tracksuit.
The etymology of the word tracksuit came about because it was a suit designed to be worn on a track.
That means our athletes should also have a uniform for official occasions and non-track times, and this includes travel attire that often doubles as official attire.
So why not take the bold step to have an official travel attire, and make it a Baju Melayu, or at least a Baju Melayu-inspired outfit that looks good and projects the nation's cultural identity.
Why is this important? Imagine Malaysian athletes attending an official function with athletes from other nations, and all the other teams are dressed in dress pants, a shirt and a team blazer with matching shoes and a team tie.
But the Malaysian team walks into the room in a tracksuit.
Even the nicest tracksuit in the world will not do us justice with the fashion police.
Sports is about many things and confidence is the critical last mile, after training, sports psychology, diet and rest.
Athletes are provided with the right equipment to perform on the field, and the right attire for the whole process is part of this equation.
We cannot shortchange our national or state athletes with the bare minimum when more needs to be achieved. We are not doing justice to our athletes whose efforts to raise our flag on the international stage are more than other groups in the country.
The solution is simple: wear our version of formal clothing.
For male athletes, that should be the Baju Melayu in all its heritage, cultural and traditional glamour.
VIJAY BINWANI
Managing director
Binwani's Fashion Group
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times