By EARYEL BOWLEG 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE outfits Bahamian Olympians wore during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games sparked criticism from many Bahamians, but Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg defended the attire.

He said the Bahamas Olympic Committee and the athletes felt comfortable wearing the tracksuits, and that was “fine” with him.

“I thought that we looked very well, and we got a lot of praises from persons here who thought that we were unique and different in their wardrobes,” he said yesterday.

The Parade of Nations is a long-standing tradition in which athletes typically enter a stadium behind a flagbearer. This year, however, the athletes travelled on the Seine River in a boat.

Some viewers complained that the tracksuits did not meet the occasion.

“I can’t see what’s wrong with what they wear,” Mr Bowleg said. “I mean, it doesn’t matter what we wear. Once we are represented and we look decent enough and the Bahamian colors are there, we’ll be fine.”

The athletes’ tracksuits resulted from an agreement between the Bahamas Olympic Committee and Puma.

The Bahamas is represented by two swimmers and 18 track and field athletes. The athletics events begin today with a 20km race. On Friday, Ken Mullings and Charisma Taylor will kickstart the country’s participation in the Track and Field events when they compete in the decathlon and women’s triple jump qualifying round.