Knickers in a twist over Olympic dress
BEIJING (AFP) – The Olympic dress code applies to places never seen, it seems, with the New Zealand hockey manager banished from the field at a crucial men’s match because officials objected to his players’ underwear.
Kevin Marr was ordered to watch the must-win match against Germany from the grandstand as punishment for three players wearing black undies beneath white shorts in an earlier match.
Initially, the officials wanted to suspend the players involved - Bradley Shaw, Simon Child and Blair Hopping - but Marr successfully argued that was unfair because he was in charge of what they wore.
Under the Olympic field hockey rules, shorts and undies must match, but New Zealand were in their alternate white strip in their earlier match against China and the players did not own alternate white undies.
“They’re pretty pedantic rulings,” Marr told NZPA.
“They are trying to ensure teams present themselves in the best possible light. I understand where the rule comes from but to suspend players is wrong.”
When the players wore the same undies against Germany it was not an issue for New Zealand, who wore their regulation black uniform, but the colour switch is going to be an issue for the Germans who won 3-1 to make the semi-finals.
The Germans had to switch from their usual black shorts to their alternate red, but with red undies apparently hard to come by they stuck with black underneath.
Marr said he had been contacted by German manager Jochen Heimpel who said the indiscretion had been noticed and his players were initially threatened with suspension from their semi-final.
Germany were likely cop it worse than New Zealand, as a warning was issued to all sides after the Kiwis were caught, and Marr expected Heimpel to face a two-match suspension.
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