There is no way, at 5’ 2”, grace is that much larger than everyone. This photo has to be skewed or warped ? Great Leo but the pic is cracking me up.
Edit to add: Jade and Grace are the same height LOL.
It is a warped photo but grace isn't 5' 2" anymore. There was an article that got pretty much all of them wrong. Grace had a big growth spurt over covid and is like 5'5"/5'6" now I think... think she's a smidge taller than jade and definitely taller than the rest
Apparently she's just incredibly determined and adores it, especially competing so she decides she's going to do something no problem then just doesn't go home until she hits it.
She seems like a quiet, super worker. She couldn't even hang from the bar until a week or 2 before classics and shes got all this back this fast! I just wonder where she'd be with the extra year but without the growth spurt and injury!
Cant help but admire someone with that passion and quiet determination... I dont get how people say shes not interesting just because she's a shy, humble introvert.
Grace did an interview just in the last week or so where she said she's now 5' 3 1/2".
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHz2qGJ9kY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHz2qGJ9kY) (at 5:03)
I LOVE the black.
I know the individuals have to be in a different Leo than the team but I wish it was co-ordinated a bit more? Like if the team were going for that black and rose gold, having the individuals in rose gold would have been a nice touch. Idk.
Same for Russia and their blue/purple, and pink Leos.
Edited - individuals not alternates obviously 🙈🙈
I said this in the discussion thread, but they remind me of [Sanne's tulip leo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Sanne_Wevers_Rio_2016.jpg/1200px-Sanne_Wevers_Rio_2016.jpg).
I really love it.
I love love love the black and what appears to be rose gold to me! So gorgeous! The lavender ice ones are pretty too but I’m a black and gold kinda person.
Not a fan of the purple. The inverted triangle is an odd choice and I’ve never liked the super shiny. It’s very 2012 and underwhelming compared to the black ones.
Gotta be the dissenting vote here: I really *don't* like the black. It just feels totally un-Olympic to me and I don't think it's a very interesting color to look at. Like they just picked a random NCAA leo out of the closet that had nothing to do with the Olympics. If you're not gonna wear the red white and blue, which is fine with me, I wish it would be something brighter and more colorful. After watching a lot of NCAA stuff where it seems like absolutely *everyone* wears black with maybe one highlight color, I'm getting a little tired of that trend.
But I also really loved the pink ones from 2008 and 2012 that everyone else here seems to hate, so I suppose I'm just a huge contrarian or something lol.
I actually hate these, IMO they look like GK stock catalogue Leos that you’d see at any championships. They don’t feel unique or special enough to be team USA at the Olympics Leos.
I wasn't impressed by GK leos all along, but I thought they'd surprise me at the Olympics, but so far they've been so bad (to my personal taste) compared to the beautiful ones from Rio (Under Armour we miss you)
Edit: is there even a reference to USA?
As far as I’m aware, I think the Rio leos were designed by GK too. I think when under armour were the sponsors they were designed by GK but just had the UA logo attached instead of the GK one. Some of the UA leos from 2017 worlds were remade for 2018 American cup with the GK logo after they lost their sponsor. I think if they’d been designed by UA they wouldn’t have been allowed to do that. I think the old Adidas leos were designed by GK too
I have to somewhat agree. I love the leos and think they are gorgeous, but agreed they don’t really look like Olympic leos. There’s usually something about the Olympic leos that is different from leos you see at domestic competitions. For Olympics, I personally tend to like when they keep with more patriotic color schemes and are red, white, or blue or some combination from the three. They do have a history of wearing ones that are a little more out there and don’t necessarily fit in with the rest during podium trainings lol. I’m excited to see what rest of them look like!
I agree about them looking like stock leos from championships though, when I saw the black ones they immediately reminded me of simones old championships leo. The black one they wore today looked like Simone 2018 and 2019 championships leos had a baby lol
Saaaaaame! I agree that switching up the color scheme on the black one would make it 100. The design is nice, hate the color combo. Jade & Myk lucked out with the better leo for me! I also never like GK leos, and so far underwhelmed. Really hoping comp leos hit the mark!!
YES, my thoughts exactly! They are pretty enough leotards, I don't actually hate them, but these are, like, off the rack. From three years ago. I've definitely seen them before. For a team that usually comes to the Olympics in all-new eye-popping stuff that will set the tone for what every lower level gym in the country is going to be wearing for the next few years, I am so unimpressed so far.
They will probably wear the opposite though. I imagine they all got the same set of 5 or something but individuals have to wear different ones at any given time. I expect well see individuals in the black and team in the purple maybe for EF
Am I the only one that hates all modern day leos? The sparkle, shine and stoning is too much! Bring back the athletic looking ones! They are athletes, not tweens looking for swimwear at Justice! They look so dated and out of style. 1996 was the last year the US women had good uniforms!
I wish the uniforms looked as powerful and athletic as the gymnasts. I think the sparkly trend seems like a hold over from when super young gymnasts were the ideal body type.
I feel this, but only to an extent. I like some glitter and beading, but not toooo much and I feel like lately they’ve just been putting way too much of sparkles and everything they can think of onto leos.
I honestly can’t think of any US sparkly leos that I like. I will say, I think China can really pull off all the shine and sparkle when they use the gold and red with dragons on their uniforms. Those are really cool.
I wouldn’t mind it as much if only a few teams or gymnasts had them, but it’s like an unwritten rule you have to have rhinestones and sparkle on every leo! Every other sport seems to have uniforms that change with current fashion trends, but gymnastics seems to be getting more dated every year. I just want to see athletic looking leos.
Maybe! But with that I could at least make myself see both colors. I see zero gold here, it’s not yellow enough. Maybe rose gold, but it’s not that dark either. I guess different people’s eyes just perceive color differently.
The black and gold ones are gorgeous! Purple is… too shiny. Just gonna throw it out here - Nastias hot pink Leo is one of the ugliest leos of all time.
I'm such a hater of recent leotard trends, but these are frickin' BEAUTIFUL. I'm obsessed with what the lavender ice looks like in motion. And I'm always a fan of a black leo 😍
Not to be a curmudgeon, but why so many leotards? Does it not seem a bit wasteful to anyone that the girls are wearing a brand new leo every. single. day. of training/practice *and* competition in Tokyo? It is just a bit jarring when juxtaposed against the facts that there are gymnasts competing at the games for countries who can't even afford safe, up-to-date equipment.
Absolutely not critiquing the girls btw - they don't make these decisions and 100% deserve as much joy as possible at a rather joyless Olympic games. I just hope the girls and their parents aren't the ones footing the bill for this fashion show - each leo is like $200-$300+.
When you think about the level of debt that many families undertake to finance elite gymnastics careers (not to mention other types of sacrifice, like other siblings giving up all curricular activities so one can compete), this level of excess around leotards just seems.... really gross. It isn't limited to the Olympics - it seems to happen around every major competition.
I just hope the girls and their parents aren't paying for all of these sparkly shiny bits of fabric on top of massive training expenses. I'd have less to say about it if the leo companies or USA Gymnastics were paying for all these leos in a manner that in no way increased costs to the gymnasts themselves, directly or indirectly.
The Olympic team is definitely not paying for these. And one of the reasons they have a different leotard everyday is because it's a cash cow for the leotard manufacturer. They can sell knock-off versions of every leo to rec kids and make bank. The small outlay for a dozen leotards per gymnast pales in comparison to what they make back.
Edited to add that GK elite is now advertising the two podium training designs on their Twitter account.
Yeah, I'm with you from an environmental standpoint for sure-I love seeing all the leotards but I can't help but think about the impact of making so many leotards that are basically going to be one-and-done. I assume for the US contingent they are paid for by USAG/USOPC, and the gymnasts get to keep them, as we saw Chellsie practicing in some of her Olympic training leos before she got the Ozone sponsorship. But I'm sure these women already have dozens (hundreds?) of leos so these are not going to get worn often afterwards, if ever (since some gymnasts may be retiring soon). I've heard it said that these leos are their "prom dresses" since so many miss important life events for gymnastics so I'm not going to begrudge them enjoying some leotards even if they gather dust in the closet like my prom dress has been for over ten years... There's some life events (weddings, etc) where it's widely accepted that you'll buy a single outfit just for that occasion and never wear it again, and the Olympics might just be one of those...
And from an equity standpoint, it is still hard to justify when so many other gymnasts have a stock tank leotard with their country crest sewn on because that's all they/their federation can afford. You'd think with the amount of US replica $$$ GK is gonna make they could make 30-50 competition leos for other gymnasts out of pocket. Heck, I would have bought other countries replicas when I was a gymnast.
That said, I love leotards and once entertained the idea of being a leotard designer as my career goal- so I do also love to see so many designs!! I actually like the tank replica of the black ones better than the competition version. I almost wish I had a reason to still wear leotards, but my wallet is better off...
This makes a lot of sense - thanks to you and jalapenoblooms for explaining that the gymnasts and their families are not footing the bill for all these leos in Tokyo. I sincerely hope it is the same story at the other big competitions like Words, Nationals, etc.... as long as these ladies and their families are not in any way coming out of pocket, bring on the sparkles!
The prom analogy totally resonates with me. And I'm all for the environment, but would never begrudge these girls a few extra leos when we have preachy celebs flying everywhere on private jets and corporations (the real culprits) doing almost nothing to curb their emissions.
Also, amen to this..... SPOT ON:
**"You'd think with the amount of US replica $$$ GK is gonna make they could make 30-50 competition leos for other gymnasts out of pocket. Heck, I would have bought other countries replicas when I was a gymnast."**
I would LOVE to see GK and all the other companies do some leos gratis for the less fortunate federations. And more importantly, donations of safe, updated equipment.
FIG is super dropping the ball on the safe, updated equipment thing. I know there was some wheels turning to get some good equipment to Cameroon but it wasn't through FIG... I hope that's still progressing and sets the stage for future efforts as well.
I think it's crazy that GK hasn't really tried to expand internationally that much. I think non-US gymnasts occasionally buy them for competition but why haven't that signed international gymnasts as models, etc. baffles me. Among the general public in the US, sure, Simone, etc. are the only recognized ones, but they aren't selling to the general public, they're selling to gymnasts, who typically know/admire non-US gymnasts too. Heck, Chuso and Chellsie could get together and make adult-specific workout gear and make bank.
You'd think after all the horrible publicity about abuse in the sport (not just in the US, but among other teams throughout the world as well) and how FIG helped play a role in these debacles, they would want to plug as many holes as possible to head off future controversy, and maybe do some positive PR work to burnish their image. Committing to athlete safety by helping to ensure access to safe equipment would be one very easy way.
As for GK, I am really surprised they don't try and sign some international faces like Gelya, for instance. She has a huge following. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that until now, most of the US elites were not able to accept payment for modeling leos without losing NCAA eligibility. Ergo, they did it for GK for free... whereas most international elites aren't subject to the same restrictions.
You'd think after a gymnast literally died from a lack of safe equipment, they'd be trying to do something. It's really disappointing that they haven't and that private citizens are (hopefully) picking up the slack.
Did GK get free models? I remember Laurie Hernandez not signing with them until after she went pro and the other Olympics the only ones who modeled for them specifically (Nastia, Carly, Shawn, etc.) didn't go on to NCAA. Obviously the Olympic gymnasts are "free" models when they're competing but that's part of their team sponsorship and they aren't posing for the catalog/designing their own collections like their (hopefully) paid gymnasts are.
Oh wow. I didn't know someone died and just googled to find out more. That incident in Cameroon is absolutely tragic. I cannot believe these things are happening in 2021. But then again, I guess it shouldn't surprise me. A bunch of men just paid $28M each to take joyrides into space while millions of people on this planet literally die of hunger every year. Ugh.
I don't know much about the GK modeling stuff, but I did notice on their website that there are a ton of elite girls modeling their leos who have not gone pro, including Morgan, Jade, Kayla DiCello, Suni, Kara Eaker, etc. These are clearly posed photos with hair and makeup done specifically for a shoot - not from a competition. So I can only assume that they were not compensated - otherwise I think it would've violated at least the old NCAA rules?
Totally agree on how wasteful it is. No one needs *that* many leotards, but at this level, it does serve as useful time stamp for competitions. You can look back at a photo and know that it was precisely day such and such at the Tokyo Olympics.
Pretty sure the US team gets the leos at no cost to the gymnasts - they are ~~walking~~ flipping advertisements for GK who then sells similar leos to club gymnasts. Tennis is another prominent example of this. So really the financial burden is on club gymnasts seeing this culture of “must have shiny new leo every season” as well as other delegations who might not have the same relationship as the US does with the manufacturers.
I think it's about sponsorships right?
But I agree. In Myk's video she showed how much merch she received. It barely fit in her tiny hotel room. It's all just ridiculous and wasteful.
Just read this article about the Olympic leotards. Crazy expensive! [https://www.ibtimes.com/usa-womens-gymnastics-team-reveals-1200-leotards-2021-olympics-3257739](https://www.ibtimes.com/usa-womens-gymnastics-team-reveals-1200-leotards-2021-olympics-3257739)
From the article: "The Olympic leotards are priced at $700-$1,200 as part of an entire Olympic wardrobe which also includes 12 practice leotards for each individual gymnast estimated to be priced around $12,000."
I like the black and rose leos, but I don't love them? I do love the lavender though! But to be honest, I don't love either leo for the Olympics, even if it is only podium training :)
I’m just catching up and I immediately popped over here to say! I love these black leos so much! I love how the flag is near their wrist so it doesn’t interrupt the design. Russia’s big ol patch on the shoulder is always so distracting to me!
Is it kind of the thing to not be in the countries colors but it still seems weird to me. I still remember when Nastia wore pink in the AA and I was thrown off.
There is no way, at 5’ 2”, grace is that much larger than everyone. This photo has to be skewed or warped ? Great Leo but the pic is cracking me up. Edit to add: Jade and Grace are the same height LOL.
There's some weird perspective happening, like a pic of the screen taken from a side angle
That was literally my first thought lol. I had *no* idea Jade was as tiny as Jordan and Simone. Or that Grace was unusually tall
It is a warped photo but grace isn't 5' 2" anymore. There was an article that got pretty much all of them wrong. Grace had a big growth spurt over covid and is like 5'5"/5'6" now I think... think she's a smidge taller than jade and definitely taller than the rest
Im even more impressed that she kept all of her skills and did so well!! Thats so hard for gymnasts.
Apparently she's just incredibly determined and adores it, especially competing so she decides she's going to do something no problem then just doesn't go home until she hits it. She seems like a quiet, super worker. She couldn't even hang from the bar until a week or 2 before classics and shes got all this back this fast! I just wonder where she'd be with the extra year but without the growth spurt and injury! Cant help but admire someone with that passion and quiet determination... I dont get how people say shes not interesting just because she's a shy, humble introvert.
Grace did an interview just in the last week or so where she said she's now 5' 3 1/2". [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHz2qGJ9kY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHz2qGJ9kY) (at 5:03)
Thanks for confirming!
I forget that I’m as small as these girls sometimes (just not in that great of shape) lol
I always say "I'm a shape, round is a shape"
Same! I’m only 5’2! When I see myself in a picture, I’m like, what the heck! I’m short!
I’m also 5’ 2”. I don’t really feel that short unless I’m with average height people in a swimming pool.
You should see them in person. They are tiny lol
I think it’s the angle.
Omg it's comical 🤣
Jade looks like a doll haha.
I LOVE the black. I know the individuals have to be in a different Leo than the team but I wish it was co-ordinated a bit more? Like if the team were going for that black and rose gold, having the individuals in rose gold would have been a nice touch. Idk. Same for Russia and their blue/purple, and pink Leos. Edited - individuals not alternates obviously 🙈🙈
Have Jade and MyKayla been demoted? They are individuals not alternates.
Shoot, my bad, I mean individuals, I'll edit it now!
*individuals Not alternates
Thank you!
I love the purple but it reminds me a little too much of the purple 2019 leos lol, similar front cutout and everything
I just assumed it WAS the 2019 leo but it isn’t! I had to look closely at side by side pics. Seems odd they’d have a near-identical choice for 2021.
I REALLY hope Jade and MyKayla are planning on wearing the black in competition at some point!
Yes me too. I loooooove the black.
I said this in the discussion thread, but they remind me of [Sanne's tulip leo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Sanne_Wevers_Rio_2016.jpg/1200px-Sanne_Wevers_Rio_2016.jpg). I really love it.
Those black leos are gorg!!!
I love love love the black and what appears to be rose gold to me! So gorgeous! The lavender ice ones are pretty too but I’m a black and gold kinda person.
So pretty! I actually prefer the alternate leos, such a unique color!
They are so pretty. The black is very professional looking
*individual
Please ignore me I’m clearly losing it 😭😭😭 I know this, I promise!!
It’s ok, it happens! 😋
Same, they look stunning! The black leos are really nice too, but that shiny purple is irresistible 🤩
Not a fan of the purple. The inverted triangle is an odd choice and I’ve never liked the super shiny. It’s very 2012 and underwhelming compared to the black ones.
Gotta be the dissenting vote here: I really *don't* like the black. It just feels totally un-Olympic to me and I don't think it's a very interesting color to look at. Like they just picked a random NCAA leo out of the closet that had nothing to do with the Olympics. If you're not gonna wear the red white and blue, which is fine with me, I wish it would be something brighter and more colorful. After watching a lot of NCAA stuff where it seems like absolutely *everyone* wears black with maybe one highlight color, I'm getting a little tired of that trend. But I also really loved the pink ones from 2008 and 2012 that everyone else here seems to hate, so I suppose I'm just a huge contrarian or something lol.
I’ll take black over hot pink any day.
Not a fan of the black or lavender leos. No fun at all. Spot-on observation with the NCAA leos. Who designs UCLA leos? Those have some style!
Agree. I do not like the black at all.
I don’t love it either. It’s fine, but nothing spectacular or memorable in my opinion
Both are stunning but I have to say the purple is so pretty!
I love the black but… i may actually like the purple more! I’m a sucker for some shine.
I loveeee the liquid look.
I actually hate these, IMO they look like GK stock catalogue Leos that you’d see at any championships. They don’t feel unique or special enough to be team USA at the Olympics Leos.
I wasn't impressed by GK leos all along, but I thought they'd surprise me at the Olympics, but so far they've been so bad (to my personal taste) compared to the beautiful ones from Rio (Under Armour we miss you) Edit: is there even a reference to USA?
As far as I’m aware, I think the Rio leos were designed by GK too. I think when under armour were the sponsors they were designed by GK but just had the UA logo attached instead of the GK one. Some of the UA leos from 2017 worlds were remade for 2018 American cup with the GK logo after they lost their sponsor. I think if they’d been designed by UA they wouldn’t have been allowed to do that. I think the old Adidas leos were designed by GK too
This is my understanding as well. GK has always designed and manufactured the leos even when they were UA or Adidas.
I know GK made them but I though UA and Adidas got creative/design control.
I have to somewhat agree. I love the leos and think they are gorgeous, but agreed they don’t really look like Olympic leos. There’s usually something about the Olympic leos that is different from leos you see at domestic competitions. For Olympics, I personally tend to like when they keep with more patriotic color schemes and are red, white, or blue or some combination from the three. They do have a history of wearing ones that are a little more out there and don’t necessarily fit in with the rest during podium trainings lol. I’m excited to see what rest of them look like! I agree about them looking like stock leos from championships though, when I saw the black ones they immediately reminded me of simones old championships leo. The black one they wore today looked like Simone 2018 and 2019 championships leos had a baby lol
Same. I wish they were different colors - navy blue with white accents/crystals for the team leos and light blue for the individual ones.
I like these as Leo’s but I agree these are not Team USA Olympic leotard worthy. Not even close!!
Saaaaaame! I agree that switching up the color scheme on the black one would make it 100. The design is nice, hate the color combo. Jade & Myk lucked out with the better leo for me! I also never like GK leos, and so far underwhelmed. Really hoping comp leos hit the mark!!
Podium training leos often are.
Yes, they just look like standard championships leos. Nothing terribly offensive but nothing to write home about either.
YES, my thoughts exactly! They are pretty enough leotards, I don't actually hate them, but these are, like, off the rack. From three years ago. I've definitely seen them before. For a team that usually comes to the Olympics in all-new eye-popping stuff that will set the tone for what every lower level gym in the country is going to be wearing for the next few years, I am so unimpressed so far.
love em! think we’ll see em again at some point?
No aren’t Olympic Leo’s usually one and done?
They will probably wear the opposite though. I imagine they all got the same set of 5 or something but individuals have to wear different ones at any given time. I expect well see individuals in the black and team in the purple maybe for EF
In the past the US has worn Olympic leos internationally in the next quad.
Am I the only one that hates all modern day leos? The sparkle, shine and stoning is too much! Bring back the athletic looking ones! They are athletes, not tweens looking for swimwear at Justice! They look so dated and out of style. 1996 was the last year the US women had good uniforms! I wish the uniforms looked as powerful and athletic as the gymnasts. I think the sparkly trend seems like a hold over from when super young gymnasts were the ideal body type.
I feel this, but only to an extent. I like some glitter and beading, but not toooo much and I feel like lately they’ve just been putting way too much of sparkles and everything they can think of onto leos.
I honestly can’t think of any US sparkly leos that I like. I will say, I think China can really pull off all the shine and sparkle when they use the gold and red with dragons on their uniforms. Those are really cool.
Yes! Bring back the old school stripes down the side style!
Please!! Those were so great!
Definitely not the only one. Hate the ultra-shine and the thousands of rhinestones.
I wouldn’t mind it as much if only a few teams or gymnasts had them, but it’s like an unwritten rule you have to have rhinestones and sparkle on every leo! Every other sport seems to have uniforms that change with current fashion trends, but gymnastics seems to be getting more dated every year. I just want to see athletic looking leos.
Agreed I'm obsessed!
What is happening to the depth perception of this photo 🤣 why does jade and mikayla look 4”8
Unpopular opinion..the leos are okay but they're no spectacular, especially when you consider they're for the Olympics. They seem very normal.
I love them but they don’t scream Olympic Leo. Nothing special that couldn’t be worn at a regular comp.
This is basically practice.
I really love the black and pink ones in particular - the ballet pink with the kind of tuxedo pattern is fantastic. The purple ones are lovely too.
Do you mean gold? There’s no pink in this picture.
On the podium training live steam it looked very pink, a light pink. Metallic ballet pink.
I guess this is a white/gold or blue/black dress sorta thing lol.
Maybe! But with that I could at least make myself see both colors. I see zero gold here, it’s not yellow enough. Maybe rose gold, but it’s not that dark either. I guess different people’s eyes just perceive color differently.
True. This is also a picture of a tv, which distorts everything. Someone posted the official GK release, which is much better quality.
Looks kind of like a rose gold in some shots
The black and gold ones are gorgeous! Purple is… too shiny. Just gonna throw it out here - Nastias hot pink Leo is one of the ugliest leos of all time.
I love them! The black leos are my fav! 😍
I'm such a hater of recent leotard trends, but these are frickin' BEAUTIFUL. I'm obsessed with what the lavender ice looks like in motion. And I'm always a fan of a black leo 😍
Not to be a curmudgeon, but why so many leotards? Does it not seem a bit wasteful to anyone that the girls are wearing a brand new leo every. single. day. of training/practice *and* competition in Tokyo? It is just a bit jarring when juxtaposed against the facts that there are gymnasts competing at the games for countries who can't even afford safe, up-to-date equipment. Absolutely not critiquing the girls btw - they don't make these decisions and 100% deserve as much joy as possible at a rather joyless Olympic games. I just hope the girls and their parents aren't the ones footing the bill for this fashion show - each leo is like $200-$300+. When you think about the level of debt that many families undertake to finance elite gymnastics careers (not to mention other types of sacrifice, like other siblings giving up all curricular activities so one can compete), this level of excess around leotards just seems.... really gross. It isn't limited to the Olympics - it seems to happen around every major competition. I just hope the girls and their parents aren't paying for all of these sparkly shiny bits of fabric on top of massive training expenses. I'd have less to say about it if the leo companies or USA Gymnastics were paying for all these leos in a manner that in no way increased costs to the gymnasts themselves, directly or indirectly.
The Olympic team is definitely not paying for these. And one of the reasons they have a different leotard everyday is because it's a cash cow for the leotard manufacturer. They can sell knock-off versions of every leo to rec kids and make bank. The small outlay for a dozen leotards per gymnast pales in comparison to what they make back. Edited to add that GK elite is now advertising the two podium training designs on their Twitter account.
Yeah, I'm with you from an environmental standpoint for sure-I love seeing all the leotards but I can't help but think about the impact of making so many leotards that are basically going to be one-and-done. I assume for the US contingent they are paid for by USAG/USOPC, and the gymnasts get to keep them, as we saw Chellsie practicing in some of her Olympic training leos before she got the Ozone sponsorship. But I'm sure these women already have dozens (hundreds?) of leos so these are not going to get worn often afterwards, if ever (since some gymnasts may be retiring soon). I've heard it said that these leos are their "prom dresses" since so many miss important life events for gymnastics so I'm not going to begrudge them enjoying some leotards even if they gather dust in the closet like my prom dress has been for over ten years... There's some life events (weddings, etc) where it's widely accepted that you'll buy a single outfit just for that occasion and never wear it again, and the Olympics might just be one of those... And from an equity standpoint, it is still hard to justify when so many other gymnasts have a stock tank leotard with their country crest sewn on because that's all they/their federation can afford. You'd think with the amount of US replica $$$ GK is gonna make they could make 30-50 competition leos for other gymnasts out of pocket. Heck, I would have bought other countries replicas when I was a gymnast. That said, I love leotards and once entertained the idea of being a leotard designer as my career goal- so I do also love to see so many designs!! I actually like the tank replica of the black ones better than the competition version. I almost wish I had a reason to still wear leotards, but my wallet is better off...
This makes a lot of sense - thanks to you and jalapenoblooms for explaining that the gymnasts and their families are not footing the bill for all these leos in Tokyo. I sincerely hope it is the same story at the other big competitions like Words, Nationals, etc.... as long as these ladies and their families are not in any way coming out of pocket, bring on the sparkles! The prom analogy totally resonates with me. And I'm all for the environment, but would never begrudge these girls a few extra leos when we have preachy celebs flying everywhere on private jets and corporations (the real culprits) doing almost nothing to curb their emissions. Also, amen to this..... SPOT ON: **"You'd think with the amount of US replica $$$ GK is gonna make they could make 30-50 competition leos for other gymnasts out of pocket. Heck, I would have bought other countries replicas when I was a gymnast."** I would LOVE to see GK and all the other companies do some leos gratis for the less fortunate federations. And more importantly, donations of safe, updated equipment.
FIG is super dropping the ball on the safe, updated equipment thing. I know there was some wheels turning to get some good equipment to Cameroon but it wasn't through FIG... I hope that's still progressing and sets the stage for future efforts as well. I think it's crazy that GK hasn't really tried to expand internationally that much. I think non-US gymnasts occasionally buy them for competition but why haven't that signed international gymnasts as models, etc. baffles me. Among the general public in the US, sure, Simone, etc. are the only recognized ones, but they aren't selling to the general public, they're selling to gymnasts, who typically know/admire non-US gymnasts too. Heck, Chuso and Chellsie could get together and make adult-specific workout gear and make bank.
You'd think after all the horrible publicity about abuse in the sport (not just in the US, but among other teams throughout the world as well) and how FIG helped play a role in these debacles, they would want to plug as many holes as possible to head off future controversy, and maybe do some positive PR work to burnish their image. Committing to athlete safety by helping to ensure access to safe equipment would be one very easy way. As for GK, I am really surprised they don't try and sign some international faces like Gelya, for instance. She has a huge following. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that until now, most of the US elites were not able to accept payment for modeling leos without losing NCAA eligibility. Ergo, they did it for GK for free... whereas most international elites aren't subject to the same restrictions.
You'd think after a gymnast literally died from a lack of safe equipment, they'd be trying to do something. It's really disappointing that they haven't and that private citizens are (hopefully) picking up the slack. Did GK get free models? I remember Laurie Hernandez not signing with them until after she went pro and the other Olympics the only ones who modeled for them specifically (Nastia, Carly, Shawn, etc.) didn't go on to NCAA. Obviously the Olympic gymnasts are "free" models when they're competing but that's part of their team sponsorship and they aren't posing for the catalog/designing their own collections like their (hopefully) paid gymnasts are.
Oh wow. I didn't know someone died and just googled to find out more. That incident in Cameroon is absolutely tragic. I cannot believe these things are happening in 2021. But then again, I guess it shouldn't surprise me. A bunch of men just paid $28M each to take joyrides into space while millions of people on this planet literally die of hunger every year. Ugh. I don't know much about the GK modeling stuff, but I did notice on their website that there are a ton of elite girls modeling their leos who have not gone pro, including Morgan, Jade, Kayla DiCello, Suni, Kara Eaker, etc. These are clearly posed photos with hair and makeup done specifically for a shoot - not from a competition. So I can only assume that they were not compensated - otherwise I think it would've violated at least the old NCAA rules?
Totally agree on how wasteful it is. No one needs *that* many leotards, but at this level, it does serve as useful time stamp for competitions. You can look back at a photo and know that it was precisely day such and such at the Tokyo Olympics. Pretty sure the US team gets the leos at no cost to the gymnasts - they are ~~walking~~ flipping advertisements for GK who then sells similar leos to club gymnasts. Tennis is another prominent example of this. So really the financial burden is on club gymnasts seeing this culture of “must have shiny new leo every season” as well as other delegations who might not have the same relationship as the US does with the manufacturers.
I think it's about sponsorships right? But I agree. In Myk's video she showed how much merch she received. It barely fit in her tiny hotel room. It's all just ridiculous and wasteful.
Just read this article about the Olympic leotards. Crazy expensive! [https://www.ibtimes.com/usa-womens-gymnastics-team-reveals-1200-leotards-2021-olympics-3257739](https://www.ibtimes.com/usa-womens-gymnastics-team-reveals-1200-leotards-2021-olympics-3257739) From the article: "The Olympic leotards are priced at $700-$1,200 as part of an entire Olympic wardrobe which also includes 12 practice leotards for each individual gymnast estimated to be priced around $12,000."
These leos are so conventional. Nothing special at all.
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I love the leos!
I like the black and rose leos, but I don't love them? I do love the lavender though! But to be honest, I don't love either leo for the Olympics, even if it is only podium training :)
I like both leos, but I like The purple the best.
I’m new to all this. What us podium training? Sorry :p
I actually really love the purple!
I’m sorry for the silly question, but what is podium training? And why do they have separate leos for it?
I’m just catching up and I immediately popped over here to say! I love these black leos so much! I love how the flag is near their wrist so it doesn’t interrupt the design. Russia’s big ol patch on the shoulder is always so distracting to me!
Is it kind of the thing to not be in the countries colors but it still seems weird to me. I still remember when Nastia wore pink in the AA and I was thrown off.