Courtesy of Speedo, a SwimSwam partner.
BRISBANE March 27 2024: Speedo has unveiled a stunning collection of uniforms and swimwear that will be worn by Australian athletes competing in aquatic sports at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Today’s announcement underlines Speedo’s reputation as being synonymous with Aussie swimming. Founded in Sydney in 1928, the brand has supplied Australian athletes for almost 100 years and has been an official partner of the Australian Olympic Committee since the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. Speedo’s current roster of superstar swimmers and Australian heroes including Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Will Martin and Keira Stephens, each of whom will aim to wear the newly unveiled uniforms and swimsuits in Paris later this year.
Combining striking, Indigenous graphic designs with Speedo’s pioneering swimwear technology, the uniforms ensure that Australia’s aquatics athletes will look and feel the part whether in practice, on poolside, or during competition.
Revealed at a launch event in Brisbane with swimming, water polo and diving athletes, the range is highlighted by Speedo’s Fastskin® LZR® Intent 2.0 and LZR Valor 2.0 swimsuits.
Developed by Speedo’s Aqualab® research and development facility, the new editions of the suits are engineered from Lamoral®️ Space Tech to offer improved hydrophobic qualities, allowing athletes to perform at their peak on race day.
The collaboration with Lamoral has delivered suits with Speedo’s lowest water absorption and the most durable water repellence benefit. The innovative fabric coating is also lightweight and provides a feeling of weightlessness indicative of Lamoral’s space-age origins.
It is the first time a competitive range from Speedo has been developed by an all-female Aqualab R&D team, made up of experts specialising in textile technology garment engineering, sports science, computational fluid dynamics, testing protocols and design.
Emma McKeon. Photo: Wade Brennan Photography.
The Speedo LZR Intent 2.0 is set to be worn by Australian athletes including Emma McKeon, who said: “The Speedo LZR Intent 2.0 is very flexible and is firm in the right spots. I feel like I can really move and it seems like the water is not sticking to the suit, it really glides off. This is the best racing suit in the world, it feels fast and I can’t wait to wear it.”
Additionally, the Speedo LZR Valor 2.0 is the choice of Ariarne Titmus, who said: “The compression of Speedo’s LZR Valor 2.0 is noticeable in all the right areas, allowing me to feel powerful and glide through the water with ease. I am so excited to compete in it on the biggest stage.”
For the Games, exclusive Aussie versions of the suits have been created, featuring graphics that will form a common thread across uniforms worn by all Australian athletes competing in Paris.
For Olympic athletes, uniforms feature boxer and Beijing Olympian, Paul Fleming’s ‘Walking Together’ design, which depicts the Games as a central meeting point, bringing people from different nations, backgrounds and experiences together.
Paralympic athletes will wear a design titled ‘The Journey’ by artist Rheanna Lotter. It features eight circles to represent Australia’s eight States and Territories, each of them different to reflect the diversity of the nation’s people and athletes. The circles are linked by tracks to show the interconnectedness of athletes, while ad hoc boomerangs feature in the print to highlight the barriers and setbacks that are faced and overcome throughout the process.
Australia’s sports fans are renowned across the world for their passionate backing of the nation’s sporting teams, and swimming fans can show their support for aquatics athletes during the Games thanks to an exclusive retail release of replica training swimwear. The green and gold collection can be purchased in selected aquatic centres, rebels, online and at Speedo stores.
Graham Eyres, General Manager of Speedo Australia said: “Speedo and Australia just go together and we’re excited to unveil our new range that not only showcases the iconic green and gold, but also tells the story of our country, its people and our shared journey. It’s a collection that all Australians can be proud to wear, from those who are showing their Aussie pride in their local pool, to the chosen few on whose shoulders the hopes of our nation rest.
“Combining these stunning designs with our pioneering swimwear technology means that Aussie athletes across aquatics disciplines will not only look the part, but will benefit from the most advanced swimwear available anywhere. With the best swimwear, and the backing of the best supporters in the world, we know that Aussie stars are ready to make a splash in Paris.”
Anna Meares, Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team for Paris, said: “Speedo has an incredible Olympic history, providing our athletes with the absolute best competition and training wear from the exploits of Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose at Melbourne 1956 to the incredible results in the pool at Tokyo 2020.
“Australian athletes are ready to write the next chapter of Australian Olympic history in these Speedo uniforms at Paris 2024.
“Thank you to Speedo for your ongoing support of athletes, and for making sure our swimmers, water polo players, divers and surfers look and feel their best at Paris 2024.”
Kate McLoughlin, Chef de Mission of the Australian Paralympic Team for Paris, said: “Speedo swimwear has a reputation for excellence and innovation.
“Ensuring our swimmers look and feel great in the water will be critical to creating an exceptional performance environment.
“We’re excited by the designs and I cannot wait to see our athletes not only wearing world class swimwear but also wearing ‘The Journey’, the story of our Australian Paralympic Team, when they dive in and go for gold at the Paris games.”
About Speedo®
The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations, and supports swimming from grassroots through to the elite level. In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefined swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER® – the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created. 2011 saw Speedo unveil another world first with the Fastskin Racing System – a cap, goggle and suit designed to work together as one. Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world. To find out more visit: www.speedo.com.au