PETALING JAYA: The design of the Malaysian contingent’s attire for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has drawn mixed reactions.
While others complimented the sleek traditional touch, others claim it lacks the symbolism of Malaysia as the collection is named “Malaya”.
“Simple but traditional touch. Nice!” praised a user who goes by the handle @BadmintonZenith on X.
“Beautiful. This is really elegant, as said by (Youth and Sports Minister) Hannah Yeoh,” wrote @din_mesjid.
“Beautiful and simple, looks like (a) display for KL Fashion Week but where’s the symbolism of Malaysian (sic) as multiracial multicultural country. Where’s Borneo representations?” asked @acetheodore1711.
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@MdmRoseNor said while the design is beautiful, it would be more appropriate for a fashion show and not to represent Malaysia on the world sporting stage as it does not have the vibrant colours of our flag and does not reflect the country’s cultural diversity.
Named “The Malaya”, the collection by homegrown designer Rizman Ruzaini embodies the spirit of the Malay Peninsula and Borneo warriors before Independence, inspired by national heroes.
Set to take place on Friday (July 26) night, the opening ceremony along the Seine River will see Malaysia’s women athletes wearing Baju Kurung.
The men will be dressed in Baju Melayu Teluk Belanga, with both men and women’s outfits featuring songket motifs, uniquely bearing the designer’s exclusive identity.
However, while the chatter online dwells on the look of the designs, one netizen, @cikenwink01, said it best: “Don’t really mind about the outfit as long as our athletes bring gold. Go Malaysia team”.
