Paralympic Kit Day

This was a day we have all been excited about for a very long time - kit day! Great Britain are sponsored by Adidas and the kit was once again designed by Stella McCartney and it did not disappoint!

In a pre-pandemic world, we would have attended a “Kitting Out Day” which involves heading to an arena (such as the NEC) to receive all of our kit with great pomp and ceremony!Unfortunately due to Covid, ParalympicsGB weren’t able to run the event but if I am honest, I didn’t know what I was missing and I was just as excited to get my hands on the stash.

I cannot tell you how much off water kit we received… anything you could ever want, from tracksuit bottoms to sports bras, waterproofs to vests. Plus water-bottles, umbrellas, trainers, hats and of course, the famous pins that you can swap when in the village with other athletes. The technical on water kit is also brilliant, so comfy and it is amazing to be wearing the lycra, knowing that you are part of one large team, it is really special. I have never been a part of a multi-sport event before, so receiving the kit definitely brought it home to me.

Also included in the kit issue - very much a sign of the times - you will find an infrared thermometer gun, masks, lateral flow kits and gallons of hand sanitiser. It is reassuring to see how much we have been given as it is a small sign of just how much work has gone into protecting athletes from Covid in Japan.

I am yet to go through every piece of kit but I can’t wait. I am less excited about labelling it all which will definitely be essential, given there are going to be a few hundred of us cutting around in the same kit…