Around 900 individuals, including athletes, support staff and VIPS, are visiting the NEC in Birmingham to pick up their kit over the next few weeks with each athlete collecting around 97 items of clothing and accessories.

 

These include:

 

· Adidas leisure and competition wear

 

·  Suitcase

 

·  Formal Suit and Parade Wear

 

·  Panasonic Camcorder

 

·  Team GB Mascot.

 

Each athlete is assisted through the kitting out process by one of 40 personal shoppers who are either a student volunteer from the nearby Birmingham University or sourced through Birmingham City Council's sport volunteers programme.

 

Tailors and seamstresses are also located in-house to ensure that each item fits to their individual needs with each athlete’s visit being recorded by British Olympic Association (BOA) official photographer Getty Images.

 

Several Team GB athletes were involved in the design of both the Team GB kit and also the kitting out process through their feedback via the British Athletes’ Commission including Team GB rower Sarah Winckless.

 

She said: “I was honoured when I was asked by the BOA to give an athlete’s view into the design process of the kit for Beijing and I really believe that the kit this year is the best Olympic athletes have ever been given.

 

"I was really impressed with my experience during the kitting out process when I collected my kit on Sunday and having my bags packed now and all ready to go really brings home that the Olympics are just over a month away”. 

 

Simon Clegg, the Team GB Chef de Mission said: “The British Olympic Association want to provide a first class experience for Team GB athletes as they proudly receive their British kit ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. 

 

"Providing every athlete and support staff member with such an array of clothing and accessories has been a huge logistical undertaking for the BOA. 

 

"We are delighted that the NEC in Birmingham have been able to centrally host this operation allowing for every member of Team GB to conveniently travel to and from this occasion”

 

"The BOA is also grateful to the NEC for providing the venue free of charge and to its sponsors B&Q for providing all the carpet and furniture for the event,

 

"Coca Cola for providing drinks and fridges for team members and volunteers and Johnson and Johnson for the toiletry bag full of goodies and suncream."