Evolution of the British Olympic athletics kit

Evolution of the British Olympic athletics kit

AW
Published: 18th April, 2024
Updated: 18th February, 2025
BY Jason Henderson
From Tokyo 1964 to Paris 2024, the GB team outfit over the years has undergone plenty of transformation

The official Team GB and Paralympics GB kit for the Paris Games has been unveiled and features a bold but relatively plain design from Adidas.

The outfits are dominated by navy blue but the tracksuits that will be worn on the podium have a white base with a union flag on the arm.

Adidas say this will result “in a clean radiant kit that allows the medals to shine”.

The kit will also use a typeface that has been inspired by the 1924 'Chariots of Fire' Games in the French capital 100 years ago.

“Embracing tradition while injecting newness, Team GB and Paralympics GB competition wear builds around the classic British red, white and blue; integrating this iconic colorway in an effortlessly simple way to connect a new generation of fans to the passion of the athlete,” declared Adidas in launching the kit.

The kit is only used for the Olympics and Paralympics too. For other major championships, such as last summer's World Champs in Budapest and the recent World Indoors in Glasgow, the British team wears Nike gear.

Here is the evolution of the GB Olympic kit from 1964 to the present day...

Lynn Davies in Tokyo 1964 (Mark Shearman)

 

Pat Lowe-Cropper (right) in Mexico 1968 (Mark Shearman)

 

Ian Stewart leads Dave Bedford at Munich 1972 (Mark Shearman)

 

Brendan Foster in Montreal 1976 (Mark Shearman)

 

Seb Coe, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett in Moscow 1980 (Mark Shearman)

 

Kathy Cook in LA 1984 (Mark Shearman)

 

GB sprint relay team in Seoul 1988 (Mark Shearman)

 

Sally Gunnell in Barcelona 1992 (Mark Shearman)

 

Jonathan Edwards in Atlanta 1996 (Mark Shearman)

 

Steve Backley at Sydney 2000 (Mark Shearman)

 

Kelly Holmes at Athens 2004 (Mark Shearman)

 

Marlon Devonish at Beijing 2008 (Mark Shearman)

 

Mo Farah at London 2012 (Mark Shearman)

 

Sprint relay runners at Rio 2016 (Mark Shearman)

 

Thomas Young at the Tokyo Paralympics (Getty)

 

Team GB for Paris 2024 (adidas)

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