Athletes praise 'patriotic' Team GB kit for Rio Olympic Games

A patriotic kit featuring a new coat of arms has been unveiled by Adidas for Team Great Britain to praise from athletes and fashion commentators.

The kit, which will be worn by athletes at this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio, has been designed by Stella McCartney and is based around a specially created coat of arms.

The coat of arms incorporates the floral emblems of the four Home Nations - a rose, thistle, leek and flax - and is topped by a lion resting on a crown made of gold, silver and bronze medals, all within a strict red, white and blue palette.

The Latin banner on the crest means "conjoined in one" to represent all the sports unified together and was commissioned by Adidas and created by The College of Arms.

Adidas said the high-performance outfits are on average 10% lighter than the 2012 kit and were made with "extensive consultation" with athletes including medallists Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley and Laura Trott.

McCartney, the kit's creative director, said: "The goal for Rio 2016 was to rewrite the rules of performance and design for athletes, allowing them to look and feel like champions on and off the field.

"The inspiration behind the design was this idea of contrasting British tradition with a modern attitude. The new coat of arms, specially commissioned for this project, and traditional Union Flag hues sit alongside bold textures and modern silhouettes to create a strong identity and make the athletes feel like a team."

Ennis-Hill, a 2012 Olympic gold medallist, said: "I've really enjoyed being a part of the creative process with Stella McCartney and Adidas.

"It's an amazing design and I think it will give British athletes a massive sense of pride and give us an edge in Rio."

The design was immediately praised by athletes, with Katherine Driscoll describing it as "stunning and so regal" and Jonathan Brownlee tweeting: "Love the @adidasUK 2016 Olympic kit. The new design looks great."

Elsewhere, fashion commentators praised the kit's "bold logos and patriotic emblems" and "British tradition with a modern attitude".

Adidas replica apparel and "fan-wear" will be available from May 1.

The kit is made in Belgium, China, Germany, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam, but Adidas said every piece needing details added such as names or numbers was "finished" in the UK.

Replica kit includes a cycling training jersey with a recommended retail price of £54.95, a rugby jersey for £59.95, shorts for £24.95, a £44.95 tennis T-shirt, Bermuda shorts for £44.95 and a skort for £44.95.