23 May 2022 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) collaborated with the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) and five of the world’s leading sporting goods brands to provide athletes from 12 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with state-of-the-art competition uniforms to help them perform at their best at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Through the NOC Competition Uniform Support Programme, athletes with the greatest need were supplied free-of-charge with vital technical clothing, which they would not otherwise have had access to. The programme has supported more than 1,000 athletes from 94 NOCs since it was introduced for the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with athletes subsequently benefiting from the programme at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as Beijing 2022.

Thirty-six athletes benefited from the programme in Beijing, which saw WFSGI-affiliated brands Adidas, Descente, Mizuno, Odlo and Under Armour provide competition uniforms tailored for each athlete, using the colours of their respective NOCs.

Mirza Nikolajev, a luger representing Bosnia and Herzegovina, was among the athletes who received apparel as part of the Beijing 2022 programme.

“For those of us who wouldn’t have the latest high-tech competition clothing, the Competition Uniform Support Programme is amazing,” he says. “It provides us with our own cutting-edge kit for the Games, sponsored by the programme’s brands and tailored to fit.”

Lebanon’s Manon Ouaiss also received competition kit through the programme, allowing her to compete in Alpine skiing at the Games.

“When I collected my uniform at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Village, I felt proud and honoured,” she says. “And the efforts that go into making sure everything is perfect for each of us, so that we’re comfortable and confident, ready to perform at our best, [are] incredible. It’s a true example of solidarity within the Olympic Movement.”