12 June 2008, London – adidas, official kit supplier to the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA), unveiled the kit to be worn by Team GB and ParalympicsGB at the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new kit was revealed by British Olympic and Paralympic Beijing 2008 hopefuls Tom Daley (diver), Heather Fell (Pentathlete) John McFall (sprinter), Victoria Pendleton (cyclist), David Price (boxer) and Liz Yelling (marathon) at the adidas Performance Store in central London.

The new Team GB and ParalympicsGB kit is specially tailored for each individual sport and has been designed to help athletes cope with the hot and humid conditions in Beijing . In total, adidas will provide over 120,000 units of Olympic and Paralympic apparel and footwear, including for the first time bespoke eyewear to the 500+ members of Team GB and ParalympicsGB. Over 680 different products have been created for athletes, coaches and officials.

For those competitors competing in the heat and humidity the kit incorporates advanced adidas technologies which have been specifically developed with athletes. ClimaCool™ technology will ensure athletes’ bodies stay at the optimum temperature when in competition. ForMotion™ technology will ensure that the kit moves seamlessly with athletes’ bodies when they perform which will be particularly important in the humidity.

In addition, adidas have now included TECHFIT POWERWEB™ in their tennis, boxing, weightlifting and swimming kits. TECHFIT POWERWEB™ has been used successfully in the past to power track & field athletes such as World Champion 100m sprinter Tyson Gay and World Indoor Champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu.

Specialist footwear for each Olympic and Paralympic sport has been developed by working closely with athletes to understand their needs and demands from performance products. adidas makes bespoke specialist footwear for 27 of the 28 Olympic sports including Weightlifting, Wrestling, Fencing and Sailing.

Speaking about the kit, Chris Tomlinson, World Indoor long jump silver medallist and British record holder said: “Athletes analyse every part of their performance now, from what we eat to what we wear. When there are so many world class athletes out there, you’re looking for that tiny detail which will give you an extra edge and it’s important that our kit helps you perform to our best. I’m looking forward to wearing this in Beijing ”.

Chef de Mission for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Simon Clegg added: “We’ve worked closely with adidas since the Athens 2004 Olympics to create a kit for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games which we believe offers the best advantage to our athletes. We’re pleased that what has been developed will cater for the climatic conditions in China as well as giving Team GB the very latest apparel technologies such as Formotion and Powerweb.”

Phil Lane , Chef de Mission for the Beijing Paralympic Games said, “adidas continue to ensure that all athletes have kit that aids them whatever their discipline and in the heat of Beijing ClimaCool technology is going to be especially vital”.

Nick Craggs, Director of Marketing for adidas commented: “The climate in Beijing will be a key factor in how our British athletes perform. The Team GB and ParalympicsGB kit incorporates the highest level of technology, helping keep athletes performing at their best”.