Greg Rutherford explains anger over World Championships kit
Friday 14 August 2015 19:08, UK
Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has released a statement following his criticism of Team GB's kit for the World Athletics Championships.
Rutherford said on Twitter that not having a Union Flag on the shirt for this month’s championships was a "terrible choice".
Other athletes have also criticised the decision to have the name of the competitor printed instead of the flag.
And Rutherford released a statement on Friday afternoon giving the reasons for his disappointment.
He said: “Athletics is a relatively small sport, and all British athletes, bar none, enter the sport for this same simple desire.
“The lack of the Union Jack on our national kit begins to erode the very reason we are competing, and this is reflected in the outcry from every single athlete I have spoken to since the kit was revealed, from retired legends of our sport to upcoming juniors.
"The flag is a crucial symbol of why we are competing; not for fame, not for money, not for an administrative body, but for Great Britain.
“The one thing that brings us together is the desire to compete for our country - without our national flag worn proud on our bodies during competition, we diminish the very nature of who we are representing and what makes sport great.”
British Athletics said the change was to create a "strong team identity", similar to the UK cycling and swimming teams who both have their team name on their kit.
