The New Zealand Olympic Committee is calling on Kiwis to help design the official uniform of the New Zealand Olympic team and has enlisted the support of the nations top athletes and fashion teams. New Zealanders are asked to design a t-shirt that will become part of the teams official London kit. The launch of the competition marks 365 days to the London Olympic Games. New Zealand Womens Black Sticks Samantha (19) and Charlotte Harrison (21) and the fashion design team at WORLD have submitted early entries into the national competition and they are calling on other New Zealanders to grab a pencil and get creative. The Harrison sisters, who have played 254 test matches between them and bought home bronze medals from this months Champions Trophy in Amsterdam, collaborated on an initial design that featured an intertwined koru in the shape of New Zealand. Its like everyone supporting each other, Charlotte said. The WORLD team took a less serious approach with their entries reflecting a humorous fashion-inspired take on the 100m dash and a homegrown translation of the Olympic motto citius, altius, fortius [eds. tere, rere, kaha in Maori]. The New Zealand Olympic Committee also announced the results of an on-line poll today which revealed the Olympic uniform most favoured by Kiwis. The Athens 2004 uniform featuring a white fern reminiscent of a Greek laurel wreath came out ahead of the uniforms worn at Rome 1960, Seoul 1988 and London 1948. Lets face it, everyone looks great in black, said Francis Hooper of WORLD, commenting on New Zealands traditional colour palate. The Olympic Games are just one year out and its so exciting Kiwis can get involved with uniform design. Chef de Mission Dave Currie says a team uniform has the power to inspire. We know the uniform means a lot to the athletes, and it means a lot to New Zealanders, he said. Were asking all New Zealanders to get creative and make the team proud at London 2012. The Uniform Design Competition is one of several ways the New Zealand Olympic Committee is inviting New Zealanders to be part of the London campaign as the twelve-month countdown begins. New Zealanders are also being invited to vote for the official team song and share their proud moments to help inspire the Olympic team next year. Also coinciding with the one year milestone is Chef de Mission of the London teams departure for a second Olympic site visit. Currie will attend a number of test events designed to check venue functionality and give high performance teams an invaluable look at how systems and processes will work at the Olympic Games next year. Currie will join New Zealand athletes and support teams at the Junior World Rowing Championships on the Olympic course at Eton Dorney, the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta 2011 and the ITU World Series Triathlon test event in Hyde Park. The London Olympic Games take place 27 July 12 August 2012. A team of around 200 athletes is expected to represent New Zealand in 17 sports.
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