Dressed: A Sartorial Look at the 2016 Refugee Olympic Team

Kelsey L. Albright

Presentation for Performance Studies International

9 June 2017
 Albright 1

In recent years, civil conflicts in the Middle East and Central Africa have produced an

unprecedented flood of refugees, and with that a political and social firestorm of commentary

and aide. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 65 million

people across the world have been forcibly displaced, with 21.3 million having declared refugee

status.1 Currently only 107,000 of those declared have been resettled. Some countries have

welcomed these refugees, while many others have regarded them with scorn, hate, and fear.

Germany, for example, made a point to welcome the displaced, offering food baskets and open

arms at train stations where refugees were arriving for the first time. In the United States, the

Syrian refugee crisis became a prominent and divisive issue in the 2016 presidential election.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded to the refugee crisis in its own

way. Early in 2016, in the shadow of the upcoming Rio de Janeiro summer olympics, the IOC

announced its formation of the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT), which would be funded by the

National Olympic Committee (NOC) and recognized as an official team of five to ten athletes.2

The candidate search yielded ten athletes from countries including Syria, Ethiopia, South Sudan,

and Democratic Republic of Congo. The media covered these athletes closely and their stories

captivated audiences across the globe. The team members represent a diversity of ethnic, cultural

and national identities; their only unifying factor was their status as refugees. The question that

Ill be focusing on here is: how can people represent themselves and perform their national

identity in a group context? In order to answer this question, I look closely at one aspect of the

teams visual identity: their uniforms, specifically those used in the opening ceremonies. These

1
Figures at a Glance, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Last modified June 20 2016. Accessed
March 28 2017. http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html
2
Team of Refugee Olympic Athletes (ROA) Created by the IOC, Olympic.org, Last modified March 2 2016,
Accessed Nov 2017. https://www.olympic.org/news/team-of-refugee-olympic-athletes-roa-created-by-the-ioc
 Albright 2

uniforms must satisfy a complex, highly challenging, and in many ways contradictory set of

objectives. With multiple meanings, wearers, and audiences, these uniforms must constitute a

rich, multilayered cultural text demanding close reading.3 To establish the language of the field, I

will present an analysis of the four main types of uniforms styles I have identified in the 2016

Olympic opening ceremonies: Affluent, Athletic, Nationalist, and High-end couture. All of these

styles are defined via ideologies that are constructed independently of the Olympics. I will also

briefly contrast the refugee team with the independent participants, a different group that has also

made recent history in the Olympic games. Of these types, Affluence, Athleticism, and

Nationalism are most relevant to my argument here.

The opening ceremonies are the first and best chance teams have to display the economic

and social status of the countries they represent and to provide a glimpse into the lifestyles of its

citizens. With this in mind, team uniforms are typically created by domestic fashion designers

and, in certain countries, the opening ceremony outfits are available for purchase for designer

and Olympic enthusiasts. The United States team wore uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren, an

iconic label for the life of white picket fences and weekends on the New England beachesin

short a traditional look of leisure and wealth of the American dream.4 The white yachting pants,

single breasted navy blue yachting blazer, cotton pull-over t-shirt, and boating shoes are

quintessential to the classic Americana image within affluent American culture. Countries

including the United States, Australia, Argentina, Denmark, Japan, India, Russia, South Korea,

and the UK, among others, appeared similarly attired in a polished ensemble. These teams

embodied what will I refer to to as the Affluent aesthetic, establishing an indexical link to a

3
Roland Barthes, Language of Fashion, (New York, NY, 2005), 27.
4
Made in USA, YouTube Video, from a press release package by Ralph Lauren in April 2016. Posted by Ralph
Lauren, April 28 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1QZt6Nx6M
 Albright 3

leisure-filled, business-driven, high income life style. These looks can vary in the degree of

gender differentiation among their participants. Being that the style draws on the everyday looks

of its prospective countries, the choice to point out or mask gender is a reflection of gender

norms and politics within the countries.

The Athletic style reflects the drive of competition, suggesting an underlying enduring

strength and will to succeed. As with those in Affluent type, these uniforms are created by top

fashion designers and nod to an idealized lifestyle within the country it represents. Jamaica,

whose uniforms were designed by Puma, embodied this look best.5 The uniform is simple, with

clean lines and block prints. The overall look is sleek, and professional. Their uniforms

expressed a focus of athleticism and drive to win, as well as a clear sense of pride in their

country. Uniforms of other teams such as Egypt, Kenya, Norway, and South Africa also fall into

this category.

The Independent Olympic Participants, who have been a recognized team since 1980,

also fit into this category. The fashion brand Nike has taken these players under its wing.6 7 The

athletic shoe and fitness clothing brand, whose mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to

every athlete in the worlddonated custom shoes, uniforms, and ceremonial outfits to the

participants of the 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics.8 Known globally for their catchphrase

Just Do It, Nike has appropriately aligned its vision to the Independent participants, aiding

5
Official Team Jamaica Kit by Puma for Rio 2016, Team Jamaica Olympics, last modified August 9 2016,
accessed April 10 2017, http://www.jamaicaolympics.com/archives/12749
6
John N/A Nike Independent Olympic Athlete (IOA) Collection, Freshness Creative, last modified July 27 2012,
accessed April 13 2017.
http://www.freshnessmag.com/2012/07/28/nike-independent-olympic-athlete-ioa-collection/
7
Robert Wood Independent/Individual Olympic Participants, Topend Sports, last modified 2011, accessed April 9
2017, http://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/countries/independent.htm
8
About Nike, Nike , last modified date unknown, accessed 16 April 2017, http://about.nike.com/
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their athleticism and offering the team exclusive, updated uniforms for each summer Olympics.

Although they adhere to the language of the opening ceremonies and fall into the Athleticism

category, they are nonetheless required to represent themselves not as nationalists, but simply as

athletes.

The Athletic look often blends with the Nationalist look, which manifests the nation's

flag in team uniforms. For example, the Jamaican uniforms, which as I have suggested fit

squarely within the Athletic category, incorporate the colors of the country's flag. The explicit

iconography suggests heightened pride and reduced economical force. Teams like Croatia,

China, North Korea, and Canada are the most blatantly nationalistic each team embodying their

nations flag in its near entirety within their uniform. Croatia imparted the red checkered crest of

their tri-tone flag onto their zip-jacket, establishing that their nation comes first, followed by the

individual athletes who call it home. Other teams like China and North Korea embody their flags

in explicit color blocking. While the concept occurs in other teams, uniforms like China and

North Koreas are unique in that they exclusively use concepts found in their flags and do not

overtly embody elements of their culture.

Canadas uniforms were designed by Dsquared2, a fashion brand known for its eclectic

mix of street and sophistication, who took made use of their branded dichotomies.9 The jackets

included an unmissable white maple leaf on their backs, with the word Canada written in black

san serif across the shoulders. There is no mistaking the nationalism that the Canadian-born

designers and athletes clearly felt during the opening ceremonies. Dsquared2 effectively blended

9
Rio 2016: DSquared2 Team Canadas Opening Ceremony Look for Hudsons Bay, DSquared2, last modified
April 13 2016, accessed April 10 2017,
http://www.dsquared2.com/experience/en/news/rio-2016-dsquared2-team-canadas-opening-ceremony-look-for-huds
ons-bay/
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nationalism with trendy style, lending its uniforms to both the Nationalist type and High-end

couture.

The High-end couture type makes use of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies as a runway

to display on-trend fashion. Countries like Israel, Italy, and Montenegro represent themselves

with garments seemingly unrelated to indexical or iconographic imagery of their country. Italys

uniforms, designed by Giorgio Armani, divorced themselves from its flag or the iconic beauty

of life attitude, opting for loose-fitting black suits with Italia written on the suit backs.10 Israel

took an alternative approach to its blue and white flag, creating a geometric block print zip jacket

with different shades of blue. Although this look is loosely based on the countrys flag, it does

not directly apply the iconography of the flag nor does it denote the lifestyle of the people.

Montenegro appeared to deviate from its flag entirely, wearing pale blue three piece suits and

white straw hats, creating elegant and artistically draped garments.

The ten refugees selected come from Ethiopia, Dominican Republic of the Congo, South

Sudan, and Syria, all countries in states of civil conflict and violence. Millions of civilians have

been displaced from these countries, separating families, and severely diminishing the quality of

life for anyone caught in the crossfire. News sources from across the world have painted a

picture of refugees in a state of disrepair: malnourished, dirty, broken. This appearance is, for

many, alienating.

Despite the African and Middle Eastern backgrounds of the participants, the uniforms,

which were provided by the IOC in conjunction with Bosco, took a clear step towards traditional

10
Adam Tschorn, Rio 2016 Olympics: A sneak peek at Team Italys double- breasted Armani opening ceremony
suits, LA Times, last modified August 27 2016, accessed April 10 2017,
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-oly-rio-2016-a-sneak-peek-at-team-italy-s-1470438619-htmlstory.html
 Albright 6

westernized, neo-liberal outfit.11 While one might criticize the design of these uniforms for

erasing the social and political identities of the players wearing them, this choice also serves a

useful political purpose, helping to create a connection and identification between these athletes

and viewers from parts of the world in a position to lend political and economic support and

refuge.

You will see that the uniform took many cues from the Affluent type. The ensemble is

punctuated by a navy blue, two- and three-button, notched lapel blazer with gold buttons on the

chest and sleeves; a cut of jacket which is common in the American workplace as well as many

other globalized blue collar businesses. The ROT also wore flat front khaki slacks, with varying

degrees of break depending on the wearer, suggesting that each wearer had different locations of

comfort when wearing pants, but that the pants were not tailored to reflect this. Their shirts are

white, button up, with long sleeves and pointed collars, which is the most common collar worn in

the blue-collar workplace.

Up until this point there has been little visible gender differentiation. Of course the

jackets and pants are cut and fitted differently according to gender-related anatomy (i.e. wide

shoulders, full or narrow hips, etc.) but the description of their outfits is fundamentally the same:

Khaki pants, white button up, navy blue blazer. Less-subtle gender-based variations are made in

neckwear and shoes. Men wore neck ties and women wore neck scarves, both with a pattern of

dots in the colors of the olympics rings. The neck scarves given to the women feature a soft blue

border which is not applied to the men's tie. Female athletes wore shiny patent leather flats in

white with black heel and toe, while men wore black lace up Oxfords. Why would these gender

11
Refugee Olympic Team to Shine Spotlight on World Refugee Crisis, Olympic.com, last modified June 3 2016,
accessed Nov 2016.
https://www.olympic.org/news/refugee-olympic-team-to-shine-spotlight-on-worldwide-refugee-crisis
 Albright 7

divides be important enough to distinguish? The independent team also has no national

representation and they appear to have no obviously gendered clothes. The refugees, whose

clothes are being donated to them, would be in little position to argue for or against uniform

choices. If that had been the case it is safe to assume their outfits would more closely reflect the

cultural landscapes from which they hail. This look is not representational of the nationality or

cultural background of any refugee athlete. Their outfit appeals to a gender norm of progressive,

neo-liberal societies. More specifically the type of society in which women are permitted to wear

pants and dress akin to their male counterparts, a concept specifically notable in the Affluence

type which features many teams whose men and women appear, at first glance, to be wearing

identical, seemingly genderless uniforms. The inclusion of gender-divisional garments suggests

that, while the ROT is adhering to the Affluence style, they are able to make an audience

comfortable in being able to quickly identify the gender of the olympians.

For neo-liberal audiences, this uniform may seem simple; the color palette is not eye

catching, nor are the cut of their blazers. It is does not speak to the indexical connections that

were established of what a refugee ought to look like. The individuals all appear well groomed.

They wear tailored clothes, their hair is styled and clean, and their faces full of excitement and

happiness. They highly contrast the established checklist of how a proper refugee should appear,

instead appearing unmarked. Although the description of their uniforms may sound almost

demure, this look took on the monumental task of erasing the cultural individuality of the ROT

athletes. In looking at the countries surrounding the refugees respective homelands, many of the

delegates are representing their countries with cultural specificity. Their garments are clearly not

attempting to align with any neoliberal society, but rather they are very clearly proud of their
 Albright 8

own cultural history. So why are the refugees, who come from such richly cultural backgrounds,

represented in a neoliberal way? What do they gain by being removed from their respective

cultural identities? It could be that the IOC is disproportionately affected by neoliberal countries,

for which the unmarked, hegemonic norm appears as suits and ties, meaning that little thought

was given to the cultural preservation of the team members. It is more likely that the underlying

intention of these uniforms was for the refugees to be made easily identifiable and digestible for

neoliberal societies, specifically those whose majority is undecided or combative about accepting

refugees in their countries. Portraying the refugees as well-kempt, clean, and affluent made them

immediately accessible to audiences with pre-existing prejudice. Suddenly the index of refugee

is directly challenged and viewers are forced to either accept the new, conflicting information, or

reject it entirely. If the new information is accepted, this could lead to changed perspective and

ultimately a kinder, more tolerant view of refugees on the whole.

By blending in with the sartorial landscape, the ROT was able to establish themselves as

being among equals. Dressing with affluence offers viewers an extensive index of positive

associations.12 Connection could be as simple as having a pair of shoes similar to the ones worn

by the refugees, or something more complex like the previous association that people in khakis

and blazers make a certain amount of money and live in a neighborhood or type of home that the

viewer may also live in. The associations made between audience and participant strengthen the

connection between Refugee and neoliberal viewer. The role of being well-to-do, hard working

athletes that the ROT participants perform in this scenario is easier for viewers to comprehend

than war-torn, distressed, helpless people, simply because violence and political unrest is

12
Yuet See Monica Owyong, Clothing semiotics and the social construction of power relations, Social Semiotics
19, no. 3, (2009): 191.
 Albright 9

something most viewers cannot identify with. More specifically it is a concept that countries

currently accepting refugees would not understand. Dressing the ROT with a neoliberal lense

bridges the enormous gap of us and them, allowing the audience to see the athletes for who

they are; people. Parents. Sons and daughters. Aunts and uncles. Humans with friends and

dreams, more alike to the audience than not.

When closely read, the semiotics of the Refugee Olympic Team uniform garments make

specific use of the neoliberal ideas of affluence and encourage such viewers see the Olympic

refugees as being like anybody else. There was ample opportunity to allow team members to

display their individual cultural backgrounds and tie their different styles together using color,

textile, or draping. Instead, the team was dressed as one group and their backgrounds put aside in

favor of the Olympic spirit, and perhaps for the sake of neoliberal hegemony. The uniform

selection for the Refugee Olympic Team was an excellent means of connecting first-world

audiences to the team members as individuals, as well as the larger socio-political issue they

represent. Though ultimately they did not win any medals, their presence at the 2016 Summer

Olympics was highly impactful and necessary in shedding light on the refugee crisis.
 Albright 10

Works Cited

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Barthes, Roland. Language of Fashion. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005

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2016. Accessed March 28 2017. http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html

N/A, John. Nike Independent Olympic Athlete (IOA) Collection. Freshness Creative. Last

modified July 27 2012. Accessed April 13 2017.

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2012/07/28/nike-independent-olympic-athlete-ioa-collecti

on/

Made in USA. YouTube Video. From a press release by Ralph Lauren in April 2016. Posted

by Ralph Lauren, April 28 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1QZt6Nx6M

Official Team Jamaica Kit by Puma for Rio 2016. Team Jamaica Olympics. Last modified

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http://www.jamaicaolympics.com/archives/12749

Rio 2016: DSquared2 Team Canadas Opening Ceremony Look for Hudsons Bay.

DSquared2. Last modified April 13 2016. Accessed April 10 2017.

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ng-ceremony-look-for-hudsons-bay/

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1:00:28. From the televised summer 2016 Olympic opening ceremonies on August 5
 Albright 11

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_qXm9HY9Ro

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 Albright 12

Yuet See Monica Owyong. Clothing semiotics and the social construction of power relations.

Social Semiotics 19, no. 3, (2009): 191.