Team GB has announced a new partnership to resell hundreds of items of surplus Olympic clothing and unsold merchandise. The initiative aims to give sportswear a second life, with proceeds supporting the British Olympic Association's (BOA) charity arm, the Team GB Foundation.
The initial launch will include 700 items from Paris 2024. This unworn clothing, including tracksuit bottoms, jackets, hoodies, and T-shirts, has been stored in a warehouse on England's south coast.
The issue of excess kit is widespread in elite sport. 5thread, a sustainability consultancy, estimates that up to 100,000 items of sports kit end up in UK landfill every year. Joanna Czutkowna, director of 5thread, notes that excess stock is often generated at the point of order due to uncertainty about competing athletes and contractual incentives for free products.
Team GB is working to reduce its surplus by making ordering more precise and considering producing clothing without dates or event-specific names. They are also exploring opportunities for athletes to return clothing they no longer need.