KUALA LUMPUR: Yonex Sunrise Sdn Bhd, the company involved in the attire controversy over the Malaysian contingent to the Paris Olympics next month, has refrained from commenting on the issue.
When the official attire of the Malaysian contingent was unveiled by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) on Sunday, it was quickly panned by netizens.
They called it "ugly" and "uninspiring".
Timesport contacted Yonex Sunrise, the local distributor for the Japanese sports equipment manufacturer, for comments but was referred to the OCM.
Paris Games chef de mission Datuk Hamidin Amin said yesterday they were presented with several options by Yonex, and the final decision was made by OCM's executive board.
Hamidin, who is also OCM deputy president, said he did not see the attire as too bad but took note of the public criticism.
He revealed that the OCM had also asked for feedback from athletes and former Olympians on the new design and its colour scheme.
Hamidin urged the public and media to focus on supporting Malaysian athletes in their quest for Olympic gold, and not dwell on small things like the design of the contingent's attire.
In 2021, the OCM and Yonex announced a four-year partnership which started on Sept 1, and ends at the end of this year. Under the agreement, Yonex-Sunrise will provide clothing to the Malaysian contingent for all multisports events, starting with the 2021 Vietnam Sea Games and culminating with the Paris Olympic Games next month.