Team GB to light up Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony

Team GB is set to shine in the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games on Sunday thanks to the red, white and blue illuminated shoes the athletes will be wearing.

 All of the athleteswill walk out with the custom-made light-up footwear created by Lancashire-based Simon Jersey.

The company has created the full outfit that athletes will wear in the parade. The inspiration for the designs came from Rio’s reputation as the home of the carnival, as well as the vision for Tokyo 2020 which is about adopting new technologies into the Games.

As well as the light-up shoes, which come with their own USB charger, athletes will also be provided with jackets which include hidden messages to the hosts of both cities.

The back of the jacket features an intricate embroidery of the Team GB lion’s head logo. Within the mane are a ‘thank you’ message to Brazil in Portuguese as well as a ‘hello’ to Tokyo in Japanese.

A spokesman for uniform supplier Simon Jersey, said: “Rio 2016 has been another great Games for the team and after the buzz of London 2012, we wanted to mark the Closing Ceremony with something a little different.

“Rio is known for its love of parties and carnivals and technology will be a big feature of Tokyo 2020, so we thought the most fun and patriotic way to use this themes in the outfits was through lights.

“The athletes all loved the shoes and are looking forward to wearing them. We just hope they remember to charge them before the ceremony.

“Creating two outfits which suit such a diverse team – from petite gymnasts to Amazonian rowers, has been a challenge, but it’s what we do for our customers every day – uniting teams of any size across the globe through our designs.”

Designers from Simon Jersey worked with the Athletes’ Commission – a group of current and former athletes – to come up with the idea for the garments.

The canvas pumps, blue for men and red for women, will have red, white and blue flashing soles– with the lights lasting for around four hours.

All athletes will also have a white jacket, featuring a lion’s head design made up of 45,766 individual stitches.

Men will also have a red polo shirt, while women will wear a navy sleeveless blouse, both with the Team GB logo.

Bill Sweeney, British Olympic Association CEO, said: “The welcome that we’ve had from the people of Rio has been fantastic, as we knew it would be. Therefore it’s very fitting that Simon Jersey have made an outfit with a dedicated nod to one of the most symbolic things about Rio, known throughout the world, its carnival.

“The outfits, and especially the shoes, will provide an exciting and colourful end to what will have been a magnificent Olympic Games.”

Simon Jersey also designed the Team GB suit that the athletes and officials wore formal events.