PM defends Thai Olympic uniforms

Badminton star Sapsiree Taerattanachai models the uniform that Thai athletes will wear at the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on July 26. (Photo: Stadium TH Facebook page)
Badminton star Sapsiree Taerattanachai models the uniform that Thai athletes will wear at the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on July 26. (Photo: Stadium TH Facebook page)

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has defended the new uniform for Thai athletes in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

He was responding to widespread criticism from netizens who claimed the design was outdated and old-fashioned.

Mr Srettha said "When you say your clothes or mine are outdated, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?" 

Respect should be given to those who designed the uniform and everyone should not focus on trivial issues, he said.

On Wednesday, the prime minister took to his Facebook account to defend the uniform that is to be worn by Thai athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26.

"Patterns from the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site have inspired a design team. The outfit reflects a combination of Thai cultural heritage and internationalisation," he wrote.

His comments followed criticism on social media after photos of the uniform were posted on Facebook.

Among the comments were "(The design team) had to please senior figures; otherwise, the design would not get approval," and "Is this all you can do?"

The uniform also drew positive comments from some netizens who liked the design.

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Vocabulary

  • athlete: someone who is good at sports and takes part in sports competitions - นักกีฬา
  • ceremony (noun): a formal public event - งานพิธี
  • criticism: comments that show that you think something is wrong or bad - การวิจารณ์
  • defend: to say things to support someone or something - ปกป้อง
  • figure: someone who is important in some way - บุคคลสำคัญ
  • heritage: the art, buildings, traditions, and beliefs that a society considers important to its history and culture - มรดก ประเพณีที่ตกทอด
  • issue: a problem that needs to be considered - ประเด็น
  • netizens (noun): people who use the Internet a lot - พลเมืองเครือข่ายคอมพิวเตอร์
  • old-fashioned: not modern; no longer fashionable - ที่ล้าสมัย
  • otherwise (adverb): in a different way to the way mentioned; differently - แตกต่าง,ตรงกันข้าม
  • outdated: old and no longer suitable or useful - ล้าสมัย, ที่พ้นสมัย
  • respect: a feeling of admiration that you have for someone/something because of their personal qualities, their achievements, or their status, and that you show by treating them in a polite and kind way - ความเคารพ, ความนับถือ
  • senior: with a high rank or position - อาวุโส
  • trivial: having little value or importance; of a problem that is easy to solve - ไม่สำคัญ, เล็กๆ น้อยๆ
  • uniform: the special set of clothes worn by all members of an organisation or a group at work, or by children at school - เครื่องแบบ

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